Chris Young

Bradford Council refused an amended application to expand Bingley View Dog Park into a neighbouring field in East Morton, citing the risk that excitable off-lead dogs would come into conflict with children and other users of East Morton Recreation Ground. Officers also warned that the QR-code booking system could prompt owners to use the open recreation ground when the dog park was occupied.

Bradford Council has withdrawn two planning applications for the proposed £32.9m Squire Lane Leisure Centre after its Reform UK-led executive voted to cancel the project, citing affordability. The scheme had been in development for more than a decade, with the council already spending over £5m and the government committing £20m in grant funding that may now be withdrawn. A Labour councillor’s challenge was rejected by a scrutiny committee. The project would have provided swimming facilities for more than 87,000 people, while a related £15,000 zebra crossing proposal may also be abandoned.

Plans have been submitted for 32 homes on green open space between Canal Road and Poplar Crescent in Shipley, as part of the long-running Canal Road Urban Village, also known as New Bolton Woods. The proposal includes eight two-bedroom, 19 three-bedroom and five four-bedroom homes. Keepmoat Homes and Canal Road Urban Village Ltd submitted the application, with a decision expected in November. Although hundreds of homes, an Aldi and a drive-through Costa have been built, planned social facilities such as a school, nursery and health centre have not yet progressed.

Speed cameras are planned for installation and testing later in 2026 on the A629 between Hard Ings in Keighley and Silsden. Bradford Council says the scheme is progressing well and is intended to improve compliance with speed limits and road safety. The section from Silsden to Skipton will instead receive mobile enforcement from North Yorkshire Police, with the scheme’s effectiveness due to be reviewed after implementation.

Bradford Council has sold two council-owned plots of land at auction for a combined £149,000, nearly three times their total guide price. Land off Sticker Lane sold for £113,000 against a £45,000 guide price, while a plot at Cornmill Yard in Steeton sold for £36,000 against a £5,000 guide price. The sales form part of the council’s effort to improve its finances after receiving exceptional financial support from the UK government, which required the sale of assets to reduce borrowing.

Bradford Council has approved plans by Rebecca Lazanby to convert a Grade II listed barn at Simpsons Green Farm in Thackley into a small-scale equine laundry facility for cleaning and maintaining horse rugs and related items. The council said the use was compatible with the barn’s agricultural character and heritage significance, while repairs to the underused building would help preserve it. The site had previously received permission for a temporary dog-swimming pool.

AZARA GIDA SAN.VE TIC.LTD.ŞTI is appealing Bradford Council’s enforcement notice requiring the removal of unauthorised holiday cabins at Jacobs Wood Farm in Silsden. The company says the cabins were installed in 2020 by previous owners, placing them outside the applicable four-year enforcement period, and that later work only refurbished units that had fallen into disrepair. Bradford Council argues construction was still taking place in 2025, citing materials and tools observed on site. A planning inquiry has concluded, and inspector Paul Hocking is expected to decide the appeal in the coming weeks.

Roof repair costs for the Grade I listed Ilkley Manor House have increased from £200,000 to £300,000 following survey findings that highlighted earlier structural issues. The council is being asked to approve additional funding, which would come from the general contingency budget. The repairs aim to ensure the historic building, situated on a Roman fort site, remains safe and open to visitors.

Bradford Council has ordered the removal of an unauthorised shipping container used for a vape shop in the Orange Street car park, warning legal action if it is not cleared within two months or appealed. The structure, previously a chai cafe before becoming a 24‑hour vape shop, had been the subject of multiple retrospective planning applications, all refused by the council on grounds including improper use of the car park and negative visual impact. Although a government inspector once overturned a related refusal in 2021, subsequent changes to the site, including the installation of a second container in 2024, have prompted new enforcement measures.

A planning inquiry is set to determine whether unauthorised buildings, concrete pads, septic tanks and access tracks at Jacobs Wood Farm in Silsden can remain after Bradford Council issued an enforcement notice requiring their removal and the planting of 300 trees to repair damage to protected woodland. The council says the works have harmed the green belt and ancient woodland, while site owner AZARA GIDA SAN.VE TIC.LTD.STI argues the developments pre‑dated its ownership and provide needed holiday accommodation following increased demand. A government inspector will hear the appeal on 21 July in Bradford.

Bradford Council has withdrawn over £2m of planned Towns Fund support for Keighley Cougars after determining the club failed to provide adequate evidence that its stadium redevelopment project was viable. The funding had been prioritised by the Keighley Towns Fund board, but recent assessments raised concerns over due diligence and deliverability. Local MP Robbie Moore criticised the decision and argued that improved facilities at Cougar Park are essential for the community. The council said it remains open to future collaboration with the club despite the funding withdrawal.

A Bradford landlord, Mindaugas Palaima, was found guilty of running unlicensed HMOs and attempting to deceive Bradford Council by sending an AI‑generated image of a smoke detector after being ordered to install fire safety measures. Inspectors found serious safety risks at two properties he sublet without owners’ permission, including missing alarms, lack of fire doors and inadequate escape routes. Magistrates fined him for both properties and ordered him to pay costs and a surcharge, totalling £11,218, while his company, Instyle Aviation, was noted to have been dissolved in 2025.

A Bradford landlord, Mindaugas Palaima, was convicted for illegally running two unlicensed HMOs and attempting to deceive inspectors by sending an AI‑generated image of a smoke detector he had not installed. Inspections revealed severe fire safety risks, prompting emergency prohibition orders. Bradford Magistrates' Court found him guilty in absentia and ordered him to pay more than £11,000 in fines, costs, and surcharges. His company, Instyle Aviation, was dissolved in 2025.

Bradford Council is considering new by-laws to regulate beauty and body piercing businesses, updating rules from 1982 that do not cover cosmetic piercing or semi-permanent skin colouring. Officials said compulsory registration would improve hygiene oversight, though botox and filler treatments remain outside local authority control pending national legislation. The UK Health Security Agency recently reported botulism cases linked to botulinum toxin treatments, underscoring health concerns. If approved, the council will apply to the government for authority to enact updated regulations.

Government funding of £15m has been allocated to West Yorkshire councils to repair tens of thousands of potholes, with Bradford planning to fix 20,000 and considering the purchase of two high‑capacity repair machines. Leeds, Kirklees, Wakefield and Calderdale will also receive substantial amounts to support resurfacing and patching projects, expected to improve journey times and reduce vehicle repair costs, particularly in deprived areas. Local leaders highlighted the economic benefits and urgency of the repairs, with recent trials in Leeds demonstrating faster pothole‑repair technology.