A BUILDING once leased to a controversial snooker lounge operator could be turned into flats.
Bradford Council has received a planning application for 13 residential apartments in Clifton Mill, off Clifton Street, in Manningham.
It describes the building as a “vacant former mill” and it is a “change of use” application from commercial/office use to residential apartment use.
If the plans are approved, the flats will be situated on the upper ground, first floor and attic space of the premises.
The lower ground is vacant and does not form part of the application but will be used in part for stairs, as an alternative means of fire escape.
The Design and Access Statement for the application states: “This is to avoid disturbing the existing tenant that is currently occupying the end unit as an auto parts business.”
External improvements also form part of the proposals, which includes reopening windows that were previously blocked up and adding new rooflights to suit.
The plans have been submitted by Jade3 Architecture, which is based in Wakefield, on behalf of Nirmal Singh, who owns Clifton Mills.
The Design and Access Statement reveals that the building was previously leased in part to a snooker lounge operator.
But it states: “Due to the ongoing economic challenges, their business ceased a few months ago.”
The reasoning behind the proposals is the owner feels the new use would “promote an economic role rather than allowing it to continue to become vacant and fall into disrepair”.
The Design and Access Statement states: “These commercial/office spaces have been marketed vigorously by local letting agents following the closure of the snooker lounge (the snooker lounge only occupied the upper ground floor and the first floor were virtually vacant) and continued to remain vacant for a few months.”
“Especially the first floors have been vacant for many years and rarely used.”
The building used to house Clifton Snooker Lounge and over the years The Telegraph & Argus reported on complaints from neighbours regarding anti-social behaviour, including drug dealing and cars revving their engines outside the venue.
At the time, Nadeem Mohammed, from the club, told the T&A he would be putting up boards to protect against noise, said he was working with neighbours, would only be letting members in and also outlined that what goes on outside the club has nothing to do with him.
The snooker lounge had been operating without permission from November 2017 until December 2019, when the decision to turn down a retrospective planning permission application was overturned.
The Design and Access Statement for the new proposal states that there had previously been “some concerns on the leisure use, however, this change of use is to form residential apartments which should be more acceptable”.
