Dispute over restaurant design holding up retail development

Plans to build a restaurant and retail units on the former Gallopers pub site on Wakefield Road were first approved in 2020.

But years later, the site remains vacant and overgrown.

The applicant behind the plans says they are “eager to implement” the planning permission, but Bradford Council officers’ concerns over the restaurant’s design are holding things up.

The scheme would see a restaurant and a row of four small shops built on the site.

Earlier this year an application to amend the design of the restaurant was submitted by the Redbeck Group.

The company argued that rising building costs meant they had to revisit the restaurant’s approved design to keep the development financially viable.

The design that was originally approved by planning officers (Image: Redbeck)

The building would now be clad in aluminium knotwood rather than the approved timber cladding.

Bradford Council refused this change last month, saying the new design was much more “blocky” than what planners approved in 2020.

They added: “The proposed materials would result in much-reduced visibility throughout the form of the approved restaurant building.

The re-designed plans for the restaurant (Image: Redbeck)

“The resulting form would appear overly large, visible, and overbearing when viewed from surrounding highways.”

The applicants have now lodged an appeal against this decision – meaning a planning inspector will now have a final say on the proposals.

Their appeal said: “The appellant is eager to implement the planning approval, but seeks to modify the external materials primarily due to viability motives.

The site of the planned development (Image: T&A)

“The appellant considers the proposed change of materials to be not only in keeping with the site and its surroundings but also more favourable from a viability perspective. Since the granting of consent in 2020, construction costs have increased substantially.

“The changes would constitute a minor change that would be barely noticeable when viewed from the highway.

The former Gallopers site on Wakefield Road (Image: T&A)

“The proposed restaurant unit would continue to have a striking appearance due to a clever arrangement of timber and glazing which is well suited to its prominence when viewed from Wakefield Road.

“The appellant is seeking to strike the correct balance between achieving viability in a drastically changing economy and providing a good quality development.

“Local planning authorities should look for solutions rather than problems, and decision-takers at every level should seek to approve applications for sustainable development where possible.”