Industrial units to be linked with running of new restaurant

As well as providing food for the restaurant, the units would also prepare food for other off-site businesses.

Work is underway on a development of three blocks of industrial units and a 408 square metre restaurant off Barkerend Road on a long empty site next to Barkerend Mill.

When the plans were approved by Bradford Council in 2022 one of the conditions was that the industrial units could not operate beyond 6pm.

Fraz Developments – the group behind the scheme, later attempted to amend the plans to drop this condition and allow the units to open until midnight.

Planners initially denied this request, saying there was not enough information as to why the units would need to be tied to the restaurant’s opening hours.

The under construction restaurant with the industrial units next to it. (Image: Newsquest)

The company came back to the council with more information – revealing the units would be taken on by the eventual restaurant operator. The identity of this operator has not officially been revealed.

Some units would be allocated for food preparation – with 20 per cent of the food going to the restaurant and the rest distributed to other restaurants.

After receiving this updated information, planners have now approved the changes – and the units can open until midnight.

Officers said: “Units 3, 4 and 5 are intended to serve as food storage and production, ancillary to the restaurant. Units 6 and 7 are intended to house the offices, staff room, prayer room and further storage needed for the efficient and effective operation of the restaurant.

“As a result of the intended uses, there will be no activities carried out that would cause detriment to any residential amenity. It states that it is critical for the success of the restaurant that the opening hours for these units be varied to match that of the restaurant.

“It will ensure that all restaurant employees are able to access these ancillary facilities at all times the restaurant in proposed to be operating.

“The food preparation will serve the restaurant as well as a further local restaurant chain.

“The main restaurant building does not have capacity to prepare food for other sites or have the capacity to house any management spaces required to operate the businesses on the remainder of the site.

“It is currently expected that 80 per cent of the food preparation on site will be dispatched from site, with 20 per cent being used on site in the restaurant.

“The units will not be operating as a hot food takeaway or restaurant, there will be no customers visiting the site in relation to ordering or collecting food, and there will be no sitting in eating food.”