A RETROSPECTIVE planning application to change part of an agricultural unit to a farm shop and café has been refused by Bradford Council's planning department.

The Joyful Deli at Holme House Farm in Ilkley Road, Addingham, has been operating as a business for a number of years. It sells locally produced groceries, foods, drinks and delicatessen products. It also has a café/restaurant.

In 2020 an enquiry was made to the planning enforcement team regarding the unauthorised use of the site as a café. However, the floor plan of the area in use as a café at the time did not amount to a floor space of more than 150 square metres and the enforcement case was closed in September 2022 on the basis of permitted development.

The business has, since 2022, expanded its internal footprint and fresh objections were received and a new enforcement case was opened.

It is understood the owners submitted the retrospective planning application to rectify the breach in planning permission.

The council received two letters of representation saying parking is on the roadside meaning cars park over the pavement blocking pedestrian access and reduce the space on the road to one lane causing highway safety issues.

Addingham Parish Council urged the planning authority to make any consent of the change of use, conditional on the provision of off-road parking facilities for visitors and staff at the cafe, deli and farm shop.

The council's Highways Department objected to the application saying Ilkley Road is a bus route and parking on the highway was restricting the available road width to one way movement over a long length causing conflict between vehicles travelling in opposite directions.

In a report published on August 14, 2024, giving reasons for refusal of the application, planning officer Heather Flack says: "The development offers no off-street parking facilities resulting in cars and delivery vehicles parking on Ilkley Road in order to visit or serve the site, which blocks the free-flow of the traffic along this highway resulting in severe implications for the safe operation of the highway."

She said in the absence of mitigation works to address the impact from the development - such as off street parking - the proposal fails to accord with planning policies.

Other grounds for refusal are also noted in the report, including the absence of a Flood Risk Assessment and the application having "procedural shortcomings resulting in the submission being erroneous and incomplete."

The Ilkley Gazette approached the owners of The Joyful Deli for comment but no response has been provided.