Owners of Leeds Hydroponic Centre want permission for tea room and shop

Owners of a former garage have applied to Leeds City Council for permission for the site to become a tea room and shop for equipment to grow exotic plants.
Leeds Civic Hall. Picture: Adobe Stock.Leeds Civic Hall. Picture: Adobe Stock.
Leeds Civic Hall. Picture: Adobe Stock.

The former Capitol Garage on Aberford Road has been running as Leeds Hydroponic Centre since last year, and a retrospective planning application – meaning permission is sought from the council after changes were made – has been submitted for a “tea room and aquaponics centre”.

The application claims minimal changes have been made to the building since the site was converted.

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It read: “The existing use of the site is a tea room and aquaponic centre.

“The proposed works has incorporated converting a mechanical vehicle garage into a working tea room and aquaponic centre with storage space.

“The layout of the proposal includes the main building for the tea room at the front of the site and the aquaponic center (sic) located directly opposite the main site entrance.”

“The layout has been designed with the existing building in mind so that a lot of the original features and characteristics of the garage will be preserved for the aquaponic center. Not much internal alterations were needed to convert the garage into the aquaponic centre.”

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A member of staff at the company said Leeds Hydroponics Centre had been running since March 2018, and the attached tea room since October 2018.

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil by introducing nutrients into a plant’s water supply. Aquaponics combines this with aquaculture – the cultivation of water-based wildlife, such as snails and fish.

A decision is expected to be made on the site in due course.