Plans to expand a gaming centre into an empty unit fail to recognize that the building is Grade II listed – Conservation officers have claimed.
Last month a planning application to convert 34 Market Street in Bradford city centre into an adult gaming centre was submitted to Bradford Council by Royal Amusements.
The former payday loans unit backs onto another gaming centre – Royal Bet, and if the plans are approved the wall dividing both units will be knocked down to create a larger branch, with entrances on both Market Street and Bridge Street.
A decision on the application has yet to be made, but the plans have been criticised by Bradford Council’s Conservation Officer Jon Ackroyd.
He said: “The building is Grade II listed although the application does not recognise this. The building comprises a four-storey structure constructed in the 1870s.
“The application proposes removal of a structural wall for which an application for listed building consent should be considered concurrently.
“Assertions of the benefit of returning the ground floor unit to use having a positive impact on the Conservation Area are of negligible public benefit.
“The removal of an original structural wall would result in a loss of fabric and would cause a degree of harm.”
