Plan to turn last remaining retail space in city centre building into flats
111-117 Sunbridge Road, the former Bed Shop store, has been converted into flats, but retains a ground-floor shop space.
Now, a planning application has been submitted to convert the building's last remaining retail space into two one-bed flats, one measuring 39 square metres and the other 41 square metres.
The application, submitted by Rajan Gupta, of Medipharm Bradford Ltd, says: 'The lower section of the shopfront will have privacy film to the inner face of the glazing. This will provide privacy for occupants without changing the overall appearance of the building.
"Our proposal will provide much-needed additional housing within the city centre, which will add to the vitality of the area, and also bring an unused section of this building of interest within the Goitside Conservation Area back into full use.
'The building was previously marketed for rent as a shop unit, without any interest for many years."
The application said its "continuing vacant use has led to the building looking not at its best, with posters etc. being plastered over the shopfront, which detract from the overall look of the building, as do the existing solid shutters".
It added: 'The new use will enable the building to fulfil its potential and improve the street scene within this area of the city.'
In 2018 an application to convert the entire building into flats was refused by Bradford Council.
Officers at that time said: "The application proposes to remove a retail use from this property which is within the defined boundary of Bradford city centre.
"In the absence of any information to indicate otherwise, the proposal would result in harm to the vitality of the city centre through the loss of an active ground floor frontage and the loss of a retail use."
Since then, plans to turn much of the building into flats have been approved – but on the condition that some ground-floor space remained in retail use, which planners argued was important for the city centre building.
Officers described those plans as 'a reasonable compromise between the need to preserve the character and appearance of this important building within the City Centre Conservation Area and the need to revise its layout to introduce a range of new sustainable uses which will help to secure it for the longer term".
Planners will decide whether the building's final remaining retail space can be converted into flats in the coming weeks.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Genworth (GNW) Surges 9% as Firm Expects $750-Million Additional Cash
We recently published . Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE:GNW) is one of the best-performing stocks on Friday. Genworth Financial saw its share prices rally by 8.99 percent on Friday to end at $8 apiece as investors cheered a UK court's favorable ruling to insurance giant AXA that could help the former recoup $750 million in cash payments. The case stemmed from the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI) before 2005 by GE Capital Bank, which was acquired by Santander in 2009, that resulted in AXA's losses related to more than 650,000 individual customer complaints about PPI policies. AXA, which inherited the liabilities for its acquisition of two subsidiaries of Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE:GNW), paid almost 5700 million pounds worth of redress to consumers and compensated complaints. The UK judge eventually ruled that AXA 'has a valid claim for an indemnity' against Santander in relation to the redress payments and ombudsman fees. For its part, Genworth Financial, Inc. (NYSE:GNW) is entitled to receive $750 million as part of its agreement with AXA as soon as the latter recovers losses. 'Genworth plans to deploy any recoveries in line with our stated capital allocation priorities: investing in growth through CareScout, returning cash to shareholders through our buyback program, and opportunistically paying down debt,' the company said. While we acknowledge the potential of GNW as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the .
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Voices: Governor Bailey is wrong: We should embrace the digital pound
Is the digital pound dead in the water? More than 100 countries are looking at the creation of their very own digital currencies. China already has one. The EU is developing a digital euro at pace. But the Bank of England? It seems to be tacking the opposite way to the rest of the world. Andrew Bailey told MPs on the Treasury Committee that he would need 'a lot of convincing' to greenlight a launch, which the Bank has already said couldn't happen until sometime in the 'second half of the current decade' anyway. Is this an opportunity missed? Even a case where the governor's conservatism threatens to leave Britons in the digital dark ages? First off, I should explain what the digital pound actually is. Digi-pounds (that's not the official name; I'm not sure we have one yet) would be currency issued by the Bank that could be stored in a digital wallet provided by a company like, say, Apple. This would allow you to pay for things directly, without the need for the card you currently have to be set up to use Apple Pay. People could also pay you by the same means. PS, Apple CEO Tim Cook isn't paying either me or The Independent for the mention. I'm using Apple Pay as an example because it's a service I use. Bailey is distinctly unimpressed with the idea of this new form of money. His preferred option is to help the market improve digital payment tech, which he said could deliver 'huge benefits'. Fraud reduction, lower costs, faster payments to SMEs (small to medium-sized enterprises), which at this point are probably saying chance would be a fine thing. 'That's a sensible place to do it because that's where most of our money is," the governor opined. But here's an idea: why not simply do both? Is that really so hard? Or is the Bank yet again in 'can't do' mode? It is true that there are legitimate concerns about digital currencies. Sceptics worry about vulnerability to hacking. Fears have also been expressed about their making it easier to launder money, even to facilitate terrorist financing. Criminals took up Bitcoin with alacrity. Lately, they have favoured so-called 'stablecoins', the value of which are linked to an underlying commodity or an existing currency such as the dollar. On the flip side, some critics have voiced fears about digital currencies being used to facilitate government snooping. This has been a big concern with the Chinese version given the obsessive interest in what its citizens do, say and even think of that country's government. But every new technology comes with pluses and minuses. It would be better for Bailey to accept that and roll with the punches. Bitcoin and its ilk already have a legion of fans in this country. If people like the concept of central bank-issued digital currencies, there would theoretically be nothing to stop them from using digital euros if and when they arrive. There are already outlets in London that accept the paper equivalent (and dollars and yen while we're at it). Here's a potential selling point for your business: 'We accept the digital euros!' Right now, the central bank looks flat-footed, a very obvious laggard, largely thanks to the conservatism of the governor. I suspect some of Bailey's caution can be traced back to his time at the head of the Financial Conduct Authority – a fairly thankless, if well remunerated, task at the best of times. Its CEO tends to get the blame for everything and the credit for nothing. Launching a new form of money is bound to create challenges, and it will once again be Bailey's head on the block if something goes wrong. There have lately been suggestions that the Bank could cease or at least shelve the work it has been doing on a digital pound. That would be a mistake. Digital currencies are coming. The Bank should accept that and prepare for the future. The governor badly needs to pull his legs out of the mud in which they're stuck. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Revealed: The true cost of Trump's tariffs on UK small businesses
A third of small UK businesses fear losing up to £20,000 this year amid the uncertainty caused by Donald Trump's new trade tariffs, a new report shows. Across April and May, the US President announced - and then called a pause for - levies being placed on all goods imported to the US from other nations, as part of a plan to readdress trade balances. While the UK has since arranged a trade deal with the nation, many other countries or blocs have not done so and there remains uncertainty within some industries. A new report looking at more than 500 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the UK has now revealed three in ten (30 per cent) estimate the cost of tariff knock-on effects to be between £10,000 and £20,000 this year, while two per cent believe it will cost them over £1m. Firms in the services sector are hardest hit, but across all sectors the average amount lost to tariff 'turbulence' is anticipated at £17,000 per business. One critical factor affecting those who import and export has been this year's volatile exchange rates, with £1 now equal to $1.358 - more than eight per cent higher than it was at the start of this year. Tariff business impact When the US President announced his tariffs, a stock market sell-off ensued - but it wasn't until bonds also sold off, sending yields (and therefore borrowing costs) higher, that he relented to a point. While those high-profile numbers were of course important, another key fluctuation came in the weakening of the dollar, which has lost ground all year. The US Dollar index measures the value of the currency against a mix of other global currencies, showcasing its faltering power in 2025. At the start of the year it stood at 108.49 on this index; it now stands at barely above 97, a deterioration of more than 10 per cent. If you are importing from the States, that is a positive - your pound buys more of US-based local goods, at least until sellers put prices up to account for the drop. For exporters, however, that is a big problem as it squeezes profit margins. A critical issue, particularly for smaller businesses, has been the rate of change and the lack of certainty about what is next. Responding to the survey undertaken by Critical Research, more than half (51 per cent) of businesses who export to the US said they expected a net decrease in volumes in future. Perhaps pointing to other geopolitical matters escalating, 47 per cent of all exporters - to the US or otherwise - said the same. New challenges Across all sectors, around 30 per cent of small and medium UK businesses export to the US. That figure is notably higher in retail and wholesale industries. They point to tariffs and customs regulations as the biggest issues facing them - as do importers, notably - ahead of such factors as inflation, global conflicts, costs of trading overseas and the impact of Brexit on their businesses. 'There's a lot of hidden activity - SME businesses are constantly dealing with change,' Jonathan Andrew, chief executive at Bibby Financial Services, told The Independent. 'Firms are making constant operational changes and even small businesses are having to assess how things impact on your own business. 'Doing nothing isn't an option - that's the reality of tariffs which is dawning now.' Many firms are opting to find new trade partners, the survey revealed, but they are now looking beyond the US in many cases - China was instead the most popular choice for both importers and exporters. Future As well as location, such global uncertainty means currency management is set to become a bigger factor for businesses too. 'SMEs are starting to pay more attention to foreign exchange. People have to think about revenue streams and where their income is from in currency terms, especially medium sized businesses,' Mr Andrew added. The UK's newly released industrial strategy said it is targeting 'long term stability' for businesses as a core focus. That will mean it will need to try and shield businesses working within those key industries from wider uncertainty, with recent trade deals - signed with the likes of India as well as the US - being one approach which can smooth the path for importers and exporters. But The Independent understands there are businesses now within the EU considering opening plants in the UK, as a potential easier route to exporting to the US. While that could yield an overall boost to potential economic growth, it could also heighten competition for those smaller domestic businesses already grappling with ever-changing conditions they are not always equipped to deal with. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data