Restaurant extension to be demolished in Yorkshire over public safety concerns and complaints

Wakefield Council refused a retrospective planning application for a covered seating area at the side of Trinity Lounge, on Brook Street, in January last year

The authority also issued an enforcement notice calling for the structure to be torn down.

Council planners said the it obstructed a passageway between Brook Street and Smallpage Yard.

A decision notice issued at the time said the building would “result in harm to public safety by way of an inadequate provision for pedestrians.”

Complaints were made that elderly and disabled people were unable to access the alleyway as it had become too narrow.

Neighbouring business owners also objected to the scheme, claiming it had harmed trade and blocked a well-used route through the city centre.

An appeal against the enforcement notice was then made to the Planning Inspectorate by Mohammed Riaz, of Riaz and Co Holdings Ltd.

An inspector upheld the council’s decision after visiting the site on January 25 this year.

The inspector’s report said the building had made the passage “very narrow.”

It added: “For those using this pedestrian route, particularly in the evening, I find that it would constitute a dark, narrow, and threatening environment.

“Given its relatively concealed nature away from the more open and visible Brook Street and Smallpage Yard, I find that it is likely to be a magnet for antisocial behaviour.

“The development has caused material harm to the character and appearance of the area and constitutes poor design.”

Eight members of the public and a local councillor objected to the original application.

One objector said: “The blockage has made it harder for people to access the taxi rank and cut through to access the shops.

“It is not fair to block the public’s access for the benefit of one business.”

Another said: “The application interferes with the long-established pedestrian route between Brook Street and Union Street.

“This route has been in use for at least 50 years. I can recall using it as a child.”

A third complaint stated: “This used to be a nice clear walkway for all businesses on Brook Street and pedestrians gaining access to taxis.

“It is no longer a safe walkway.

“I don’t know why this has been allowed. Something needs to be done.”