A section of a former department store in Bradford city centre can be converted into a shisha bar.
A planning application to convert part of the former Boyes on North Parade into a café and shisha lounge was submitted last Summer.
The building has become a leisure hub since the department store re-located in 2019, and is now home to a VR gaming centre, crazy golf and axe throwing business.
The application was to turn a unit on the second floor into a shisha business. The smoking area would be in an outdoor courtyard, and the plans also include the repair of the building’s roof and the installation of a solar panel array.
The application, by Ambient Energy, has now been approved by Bradford Council.
Planning officers said: “The proposal will see a vacant site brought into use within a sustainable location and will potentially result in preserving the use of the building for the new and existing uses which would increase the vitality of the previously vacant building at the ‘top of town’.
“The introduction of a shisha lounge and bar is likely to bring about noise levels that would exceed that of the previously established use at the building.
“There are late night uses along North Parade and the site is within the city centre.
“The North Parade uses include a number of drinking establishments. As such this type of use is appropriate in this area where ambient noise levels are likely to fluctuate through the working day, night time and weekends periods.”
Among the conditions of the approval is that the business has to shut by 11pm on Monday to Thursday and until 2am on weekends and bank holidays.
