A BRADFORD park could get a new cafe to help support community activities and boost the work of a local charity.
A planning application to create a new community cafe in Wibsey Community Gardens, based in Wibsey Park, has been submitted to Bradford Council.
The plans have been proposed by Bradford Organic Communities Service (BOCS), an environmental charity based at the gardens.
The charity grows fruit and vegetables to sell to the local community, as well as keeping bees to create honey for sale.
The charity works with schools and local community groups.
An artist’s impression of the planned cafe (Image: Bradford Organic Communities Service) The site already includes a kitchen where the BOCS does much of its work, but the new plans include the construction of an indoor cafe with workshop space for the charity’s activities, as well as an outdoor terrace.
The cafe will be linked to the existing kitchen by a new external, covered walkway.
The group also runs Scrapmagic – a community service that recycles waste products to use as safe craft material.
The Scrapmagic portable cabin on the site will be moved to a space next to the new cafe as part of the plans.
The charity says the application will help its work on “community growing, food education, and environmental outreach”.
The application says: “The proposed cafe will complement the existing offer at Wibsey Community Garden by providing a new social space for learning, refreshment, and gathering.
“It will support Bradford Organic Communities Service’s ongoing charitable work is sustainable food growing, community development, and environmental education.
“The cafe will allow food prepared in the existing on-site kitchen to be served in a structured setting, with space for visitors to sit, learn, and engage.
“It also offers an indoor workshop area, enabling the garden to host activities throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions.
“The proposed cafe has been designed to reflect the working, productive nature of the community garden while offering a warm and welcoming presence for visitors.
“We consider that the proposed community cafe at Wibsey Community Garden represents a modest, thoughtful, and high-quality addition to an already valuable public resource.
“We believe this proposal constitutes a high-quality, community-led development that will enhance the function, appearance, and inclusivity of Wibsey Community Garden for years to come.
“It is a project rooted in social value, shaped through good design, and ready to support a stronger, greener, and more resilient future for the local community and community garden.”
A decision on the application is expected in September.
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