PLANS for two large scale wedding and function venues have been refused by Bradford Council.

One of the applications was to get retrospective planning for a venue that has been operating without permission for over four years, while the other was for the redevelopment of a former mill and department store.

In both cases planning officers raised concerns of the noise and disruption that would be created for neighbours by a venue that could attract hundreds of revellers to events that would run late into the evening.

The Pearl Banqueting Suite on Manningham Lane, on the edge of Bradford city centre has planning permission for a restaurant, but has been operating as a wedding venue and function suite without planning permission for four years.

Last year Tony Singh of Power Centre UK submitted a retrospective planning application to keep operating the business as a function hall, but it was refused by Bradford Council late last month.

The application said that in the four years the business had been operating “illicitly” there had been “no cause for complaints” from residents.

And after the plans were submitted just two people wrote to Bradford Council to object to the plans.

But planning officers said that a large events venue that stayed open until late in the night so close to a number of residential homes could cause major problems.

The application said the venue had a capacity for 400 people, although a sign on the outside of the hall says it has seating for 800 guests.

Refusing the application, planning officers said: “A development of the type proposed is likely to generate music and noise from customer activity, such as talking, shouting and applauding, which is likely to spill outside the application building.

“Given the proximity of nearby residential properties their occupants would suffer an unacceptable loss of residential amenity, late into the night.”

It is the second retrospective application for the venue to have been refused by Bradford Council, the earlier refusal having come in the summer.

The Telegraph & Argus had attempted to contact both the venue and the agent for the application to ask whether they would be appealing the decision, but has yet to receive a reply.

Planning officers also refused plans for a wedding venue and function hall on Ingleby Road shortly before the New Year.

Westfield House, the former Grattan catalogue shop, was the subject of an application that would have seen the empty building completely transformed into an Asian wedding venue.

The application, by Mohammed Tayyab, said the demand for such venues in Bradford had “grown significantly” in recent years, leading to a number of new venues opening.

It was the second attempt to turn the site into a function hall - a similar plan was refused last summer over traffic concerns, leading to a re-jigged application being submitted.

The development would have also included a photographic studio.

But this second attempt to transform the building was also unsuccessful. Refusing the application, planning officers said: “It is not considered the proposed development would be able to provide adequate parking for events within the car park as such this would lead to additional vehicles parking on nearby residential streets.

“This level of comings and goings, particularly during unsociable hours would lead to noise and general disturbance for neighbouring residential properties.

“The proposed development would result in greater on-street car parking and vehicle manoeuvring in close proximity to a two junctions on a busy classified road leading to adverse implications for the safe and free flow of traffic on this highway.”

Like the Manningham Lane application, officers had also raised concerns over the noise a busy wedding venue would create, adding: “The use of the premises as a banqueting and function venue with associated parking area would be detrimental to the amenities of neighbouring residents by reason of noise, vehicular activity and general disturbance, particularly late at night or at other unsocial hours.”

The mill dates back to the 1930s, and was converted to a clothes shop with warehouse space in the early 1990s. It has been vacant for a number of years.

The application had said the building and its car park was the only suitable site in the area for an Asian wedding venue.