- Decision
- allowed, 15 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: J Buxton
- Authority
- Bradford (Yorkshire and the Humber)
- Appeal reference
- 6012239
- Application reference
- 25/01696/FUL
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Conversion of vacant ground-floor shop to 2 apartments with new shopfront glazing
- Homes
- 2
- Site context
- inside settlement, conservation area, listed building setting
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- P3(2)(a)
- Development plan policies
- Bradford Core Strategy 2017 DS5, HO9
- Main issues
- living conditions — outlook and privacy
Summary
Ground-floor city-centre shop converted to two flats behind a shopfront with obscured lower glazing. Allowed. City-centre occupiers "could reasonably expect a more active street environment", and outlook over the manifestation was meaningful (DL ¶¶11–12). Heritage assets were preserved.
What made the difference
The Inspector saw the installed glazing on site and judged it a balance "between securing privacy … and maintaining a meaningful outlook" (DL ¶11). The context was a busy city centre at the foot of a sloping street.
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| P3(2)(a) | pass | street-facing outlook with manifestation to lower glazing — acceptable privacy/outlook in city-centre context; NDSS met (DL 9-12) | |
| HE9 | pass | City Centre CA and adjacent Goitside CA preserved; setting of Grade II Sunwin House preserved (DL 13-16) | |
| L2(1)(b) | benefit | long-vacant unit brought back into use in highly sustainable location (weight not stated) (DL 7) |
Key facts
- The "HO9" in the corpus index is Bradford Core Strategy HO9 (housing quality), not NPPF HO9
- Works already started; replacement glazing and manifestations inspected in situ
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.