'Eyesore' - Plans for new café in historic Yorkshire village refused

Plans for a new café with outdoor seating and a milk vending machine have been refused following claims the business would be “an eyesore.”

An application to convert a small beauty salon on Station Road in Oxenhope into a new business were submitted by Ben Howson earlier this year.

The application was for a change of use to a café, along with a side extension to create toilet facilities, an outdoor seating terrace with retractable awning and a milk vending machine.

There would be two parking spaces.

The application has now been refused by Bradford Council, with planning officers saying the changes would introduce an “overtly commercial appearance” to the area, and intensify traffic on a busy village road.

Much of the concern was down to the extension to the building, which would be made from two shipping containers.

The planning application said: “The main aim of the current proposal is for a café serving a local catchment area within Oxenhope.

“The proposal site has been chosen for this development opportunity as it is in the main social and economic hub of the village.

“There are currently no café facilities available in the village of Oxenhope. The proposal therefore provides such a facility in a central location within reasonable walking distance for many and close to existing public transport facilities, and such a facility should therefore be encouraged.”

The café would open between 8am and 9pm and employ two full time staff and two part-time staff.

As well as six objections from members of the public, Oxenhope Village Council criticised the application, saying the works would cause “unacceptable harm to the Station Road Conservation Area through poor design.”

They add: “The proposed use of steel containers, astro turf and panel timber fencing and screens would create a visual eyesore in the centre of the village.”

Bradford Council Conservation officer Jon Ackroyd also questioned the development, saying: “The proposed extension, boundary treatment, awning and other ancillary structures would introduce an overtly commercial appearance which would appear discordant and visually intrusive to the wider context.

“Due to the site’s open frontage and prominent location within the streetscape, the proposed extension and associated structures would be highly visible from the public realm.”

Planning officers acknowledged that the café could “bring vitality” to the village, but added: “these benefits must be weighed against the identified harms.”

They said: “The proposed shipping-container style extension, timber cladding and associated structures would appear discordant within the traditional stone-built streetscape and, due to the site’s prominent and highly visible location, would result in harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area. “The proposed change of use from a beauty salon to a café, together with the side extension, would result in a significant intensification in the use of the site.

"The development would provide only two off-street parking spaces, and would be likely to generate overspill parking on Station Road, a busy classified road where on-street parking demand is already high.”