A former public toilet block in Bronte Country, an area of south Pennine hills west of Bradford in West Yorkshire, is set for a flush of new life after winning planning permission to be converted into an estate agency office.
The disused conveniences on Station Road in Cullingworth have stood empty for years since being closed by Bradford Council as part of a wider programme of public toilet closures. Now, the building is heading from public convenience to property convenience after plans to transform it into a small office were approved.
An application submitted by Tiffin Venue Management proposed installing a new glass frontage and converting the former toilets into commercial premises, arguing the scheme would help support the vitality of the village centre.
Cullingworth Village Council objected the plans, claiming the modern frontage would be out of keeping with the village’s Conservation Area.
However, Bradford Council planning officers have now given the scheme the green light, concluding that the conversion would bring a long-vacant building back into use and support a local business.
The development means the former loo block could soon become one of the property industry’s more unusual estate agency branch locations.
Telegraph & Argus shared details of what the planning application said: “The proposals seek to bring an underused building back into active use as a small estate agency office, supporting the vitality of the village centre and improving the appearance and day-to-day surveillance of this part of the Conservation Area.
“The scheme introduces no additional built volume and retains the traditional stone and slate palette, whilst providing an active and well-presented frontage.”
Here is the response to the application from Cullingworth Village Council: “It is agreed that finding a suitable use for the toilet block is preferable to leaving it to decay and we have no issues with internal changes, however, any external changes must still be carried out to preserve the character and appearance of our conservation areas.
“Curtis Court (formerly Cullingworth Wesleyan Methodist Chapel) is a Grade II listed building within Cullingworth’s Conservation Area.
“The toilet block sits between Curtis Court and the George public house, all within the conservation area.
“It is proposed that the shopfront framing to be powder coated aluminium with clear glazing, floor to ceiling.
“We assume the shop front is to be utilised to display properties for sale and we consider a purely glassy front to be detrimental to the character of this conservation area and so close to a Grade II heritage site.”
