Bradford residents are “fed up” with owners making major alterations to historic buildings and asking for permission afterwards – the Chair of a local heritage group has claimed.
Chair of Bradford Civic Society Si Cunningham says Bradford should encourage the “highest standards of design” and not allow modern additions to be made to listed and Conservation Area buildings, especially now much of the city centre has been designated a Heritage Action Zone.
His comments came as a city centre business submitted another application to retain colourful modern signage on a Grade II listed building dating back to the Victorian era.
Pawnbroker Cash Generator opened a new Bradford city centre branch on the corner of Kirkgate and Bank Street last September.
The business had moved into the ground floor of Pearl Assurance House, a Grade II listed building which dates back to the 1870s. It was designed by acclaimed architects Lockwood and Mawson and is also part of the City Centre Conservation Area.
As part of the move, the company fitted bright blue and yellow signage on the building without listed building consent, or advertising consent – leading to criticism from local heritage groups.
It was the latest in a series of instances in Bradford where modern signage or shop fronts have been added to Conservation Area buildings without planning permission.
A retrospective application to keep the Cash Generator signage was submitted by the company, but this was refused earlier this year.
Conservation officers said the signage “causes immediate visual harm to the listed building and city centre conservation area environment.”
Now a new application to retain signage on the building has been submitted to Bradford Council, and claims the modern signage is actually preventing the listed building from falling into disrepair.
Image: @sicunninghamBD on X
The new application makes some changes – the bright blue paint on the walls will be replaced with black matte paint and the main signage will be illuminated.
Vinyl adverts on the Bank Street side of the shop will be removed.
But the amended plans have still attracted ire from the Civic Society.
A brief heritage statement in the company’s new application says: “The proposal does not have a detrimental impact on the character or appearance of the Listed Building and, if anything, ensures the reuse and upkeep of this otherwise vacant property ensuring it does not fall into disrepair.”
The signage was installed at the same time Historic England was awarding Bradford £2m to set up a “Heritage Action Zone.”
The funding could be used to help bring long empty city centre buildings back into use, and remove tacky modern frontages from some of the city’s architectural gems.
Referring to the new application, Mr Cunningham said: “The revised proposals look just as awful as the unauthorised works that have already taken place.
“With the new market open on Darley Street, footfall is now much higher in this part of town, so we must encourage the highest standards of design – particularly as it’s at the heart of our new Heritage Action Zone.
“I wish that occupiers and building owners would get the message that it’s their responsibility to get planning matters right first time to avoid costly enforcement action.
“The people of Bradford are fed up of it.”
When the previous application was refused, Conservation Officer Jon Ackroyd said: “The size, projecting form, colour and internal illumination of the signs all combine to create a very strident and crude appearance which conflicts with the listed building.
“The implemented signage causes immediate visual harm to the listed building and city centre conservation area environment.”
In the decision to refuse the signage, planning officers added: “The front signage has harmed the character and significance of this Grade II listed building with the harm to this designated heritage asset not outweighed by any public benefits.”
A decision on the new application is expected next month.
Bradford Council has recently issued an enforcement notice relating to another city centre shop unit.
The Authority says Mr Phones and Vapes at 89 Kirkgate breaches planning control.
The notice alleges that a replacement shop front that is “detrimental to visual amenity” has been installed at the unit without planning permission.
It claims the unauthorised work “fails to preserve the character of the City Centre Conservation Area.”
The notice takes effect from August and requires the building’s owner to restore the original shop front within two months.
