Two convenience stores planned for Saltaire village

Two separate planning applications to build convenience stores in Saltaire have been submitted to Bradford Council.

One application calls for the hand car wash on Bingley Road to be demolished and a store built in its place.

And the other would see a garage site on Saltaire Road demolished to make way for a new shop.

The Bingley Road application has been submitted by Yeadon based Eco Developments (Yorkshire) and is for an area of land that, while currently a hand car wash, was once a petrol station.

The plan is for a convenience store that would have a 265sqm sales are and a 125sqm “back of house” area, along with parking spaces for 14 cars and eight bicycles.

The car park would be on the Grosvenor Road side of the site.

In 2016 an application to build a Sainsburys Local on the site was approved by Bradford Council.

The shop was never built, and last year the supermarket giant conceded it would not be moving forward with the plan.

The new application says the shop’s design has taken inspiration from the former Tramshed, now Salt Brewery.

It would create 10 full time and 10 part time jobs.

The application says: “There is a clear visual distinction between the consistently high quality of architecture of the World Heritage Site on the north side of the road, and the varied quality and style of architecture on the south side of the road, which is outside of the World Heritage Site.”

Referring to the current car wash use, the application says: “The facility is in a poor condition and negatively impacts the attractive high street thus offering a poor first impression to visitors.

“The site represents an opportunity to create a gateway development to the wider local centre through provision of a key retail service whilst being sensitive to the surrounding streetscape and World Heritage assets.”

A decision on that application is expected in June.

The other application is for the former Northcliffe Garage site on Saltaire Road, and has been submitted by 363 Architecture.

The garage building would be demolished and a 320sqm shop built in its place.

It would have 10 car parking spaces and six cycle spaces.

A similar application to build a convenience store on the site was submitted last year, but refused by Bradford Council.

Planning officers feared the shop would draw people away from Shipley and Saltaire town centres. Highways officers had also raised concerns about plans for a shop on a busy road, and just yards from a primary school.

The application says: “Given the commercial past of the site and that of the immediate vicinity, the proposal will not introduce a use that is unfamiliar to the area.”

Referring to the reasons the plans were refused last year, the application points out there is no other site in the area suitable for such a shop.

A transport statement said customers would likely only be from the local area, and that the new shop would not generate much traffic.

The application adds: “The proposal will contribute positively to the aesthetics of Saltaire Rd whilst not introducing a use that doesn’t currently exist on it.”

A decision on this plan is expected next month.