'Crude' signage on 19th Century building rejected

Signage on a 19th Century city centre building in Bradford has been criticised as "crude" and having "no regard" for the architecture of the site.

The comments were made by a conservation officer before a retrospective application to retain the signs on Westgate's Textile Hall, currently a 99p Plus store, was refused by councillors.

In his application, Shahed Noor Shirazi said the boards were installed over the building's windows to cover "metal cages-type protections which look so ugly" and which he said were often filled with litter.

However, planning officers said the blue and yellow signs caused "harm to the character and appearance of both the building and the wider conservation area".

The signage on the store has already been up for a number of years, councillors were told.

Council conservation officer Jon Ackroyd raised serious concerns about the retrospective plans.

"The effect is strident and incongruous, with signage dominating the building, appearing crude and with no regard for the appearance or architecture of the host building," he said.

"This harm to an important frontage in the conservation area has no offsetting public benefit."

The unit will become highly prominent in the near future, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Hundreds of homes are expected to be built on the former Oastler Market site, opposite the shop as part of the Bradford City Village scheme.

That project will see a huge amount of money invested in Bradford by national bodies and housing companies.

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