New cafe planned for prominent Bradford city centre building

The Vault on Barkerend Road has most recently been used by a printing company, but has been vacant for almost a year.

The Vault on Barkerend Road
Author: Chris Young, Local Democracy Reporting ServicePublished 13th Feb 2026

PLANS to turn a prominent city centre building into a café have been submitted – just weeks after a plan to turn it into a takeaway was withdrawn.

The Vault on Barkerend Road has most recently been used by a printing company, but has been vacant for almost a year.

Last year a planning application to convert the property into a takeaway was submitted by Jawaid Mahmood.

But the proposals were withdrawn a few weeks later.

Now a new application has been submitted – this time to convert the unit into a café that will seat 24 people.

The café would utilise the seven space car park behind the building.

The application says: “The scheme has been designed to respect the building’s historic character while ensuring compliance with modern operational and accessibility standards.

“The building is of robust masonry construction, formerly occupied by a printing business that ceased operations in April 2025.

“The property has remained vacant since, and its adaptive reuse as a café will contribute positively to the vitality of the area.

“The locality features a high concentration of food and drink establishments, reflecting strong demand and cultural relevance.”

A decision on the application is expected next month.

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