The picture above is what I can see from my living room window, the two Indian takeaways with their aluminium shopfronts, and on the far right the Chinese with its PVC frontage.
The reason I started this subject is because my name is Alan Davidson and I live at 11 Albion Road near the Green, Idle village, and I've been a resident since October 1989.
When I first moved into the village almost 20 years ago it was a thriving little village with all the shops that the community could use, like two greengrocers, two butchers shops, a fruit and vegetable shop etc...... 19 years later things have certainly changed! All these types of shops have now gone and the village is dominated by fast-food takeaways. Opposite my premises there are side-by-side two Indian takeaways and a Chinese takeaway. These three shops directly opposite my premises have aluminium or PVC frontages, but even worse they have extremely large bright garish fluorescent signs. In fact the glow emanating from the signs is so bright it enters my living room after dark, and we have to pull the curtains.
My personal biggest complaint about these types of shops, is not with the owners that have been allowed to make these changes, it is with Bradford Council allowing planning permission. If the council were ever serious about Idle being a conservation area, why on earth did they ever allow the numerous modernisations to take place over a number of years?
Because this type of shop frontage has been dominating the village over the last several years it has led me to make a mistake. Many years ago I used to use the shop at the front of my premises for my business as a security alarm installer. Because I've been doing this since 1983 I decided a few years ago I would close the shop as it was not needed any more and the costs outweighed the benefits. The shop was left empty for a long period of time due to its unfortunate rotten wood frontage. Then almost 3 years ago a company fitted a new PVC shop frontage to my premises, and advised me I wouldn't have a problem regarding Idle heritage as this had long since gone. It was my silly mistake to believe this.
In October 2008 I was approached by Bradford council with an enforcement order to remove my shop frontage as it is not in keeping with the appearance of the Idle conservation area. I paid for an appeal which has been totally rejected, and have now been served with a three-month enforcement notice to completely change my shop frontage, and to replace it with a shop front more in keeping with the age of the building. Seems a tad harsh on me I think when you consider what they have allowed to happen to the village and then to hit me with this kind of financial expenditure to take place in a short period of time, in the midst of the biggest global recession ever experienced, causing record numbers of businesses to go under.
I have got the telephone details of the three councillors for the Idle area. So far I've only spoken to one called Jeanette Sunderland who suggested I would not be the only one who would be having to change their shop frontage in the near future, reverting back to an older style.
I have spoken to some of the takeaway shops with their new shop frontages and very expensive neon signs costing thousands of pounds and informed them that they very possibly will also have to remove these modernisations to their shops in the near future. Predictably they are very upset by this prospect. We are collectively planning to take action to make our dissatisfaction felt.
Vic who owns the fish shop in The Green was recently told by Bradford council to remove the fish shop sign, as it wasn't in keeping etc. The sign has been there for over 18 years and is non-illuminated, and in my opinion old in appearance along with the rest of his shop. Seems unbelievable to me! Apparently I believe this has been dropped due to the fact that Vic is not far from retirement.
Personally I think the only fair solution from Bradford Council would be to at least offer some financial assistance if they wish Idle village shop owners to remove the numerous modernisations that have taken place over the last decade and go back to its former old glory.
Do you think Idle village looks like a conservation area? And would you like to see Idle village go back to the old style it used to be many years ago?
I shall update this blog on a regular basis with any news and updates regarding this subject.
