Vacant building come become new café in Bradford
A vacant building on the edge of Bradford city centre could become a new café and patisserie – the latest in a string of new businesses planned for this long neglected area of Bradford.
A planning application to convert 146 Thornton Road, a building at the junction of Lower Grattan Road, has been submitted to Bradford Council this week.
Submitted by Hassan Khalil, the application says the new business will “contribute positively to the local economy.”
Plans show the business will be based over both floors of the prominent building, and a new entrance will be created on Thornton Road.
The building sits within the Goitside Conservation Area – once one of the most significant areas of the city, home to numerous mills and businesses.
In recent decades the area has suffered from a decline in fortunes, and has more recently been dominated by derelict buildings and car-based businesses.
The planning application says: “The proposed cafe use is considered compatible with the commercial nature of the premises and surrounding area.
“The nature and scale of the proposed cafe operation are not anticipated to result in unacceptable impacts upon neighbouring occupiers.
“The proposal will bring an existing building into active commercial use and provide a new cafe/patisserie facility within the area.
“The development will contribute positively to the local economy through investment in the premises, creation of employment opportunities and increased activity at the site.
“The reuse and adaptation of the existing building represents an efficient use of existing built development.”
The café will make use of the 15 parking spaces behind the building.
The proposed opening hours are 10am to 7pm on Monday to Friday and 10am to 11pm on weekends.
A decision on the application is expected late next month.
If approved, the café will be the latest in a string of new business to open in the area.
A new energy centre on Thornton Road is due to go live in the coming weeks, and a Starbucks drive thru next to that site opened earlier this year.
Plans have been approved for another drive thru restaurant next to the Starbucks.
An escape room complex has opened on a nearby site on Thornton Road, and Humbeys – an 80 seater restaurant specialising in burgers, fries and milkshakes is due to open soon just yards from the proposed café site.
An application to build a 32-room hotel with four ground floor shops and rooftop café with “panoramic views across Bradford” is currently progressing through the planning system.