Community centre balcony extension refused

Plans to extend a building that was once home to the Grattan catalogue shop company have been refused.

Earlier this year, a planning application to build an extension to the side of ChaCha's Plaza on Ingleby Road was submitted to Bradford Council.

The plans, submitted by Abdul Majid, would have seen an existing canopy over the main entrance doors removed, and the installation of a new raised balcony/terrace which would have provided extra space for a community centre, which now occupies the first floor.

However, planners said the extension would "harm the character and appearance" of the area.

In the years since Grattan left the building, it has been converted into a shop, with a community centre above.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the proposed terrace would have measured 64ft 12in (19.8m) by 12ft 10in (3.9m) and the extension would have featured large, glazed bifold doors.

In refusing the application, planning officers said: "The proposal as submitted will form a large obtrusive feature to the building with the position and size of the proposed balcony and canopy, coupled with the off-centred position of the first floor bi-folding doors, making the proposal appear imbalanced and out of proportion.

"The proposal will harm the character and appearance of the host property and the wider street scene," they added.

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