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Retrospective "amphitheatre" plans by Burley Oaks

Tuesday, 6 January 2026 12:00

By Chris Young, Local Democracy Reporter

Burley Oaks Ampitheatre

A retrospective planning application to build a small “amphitheater” at a Burley-in-Wharfedale primary school has been submitted to Bradford Council.

The outdoor seating area at Burley Oaks Primary School in the village is used as an outdoor classroom space.

But the work – carried out in 2024 – was done without planning permission.

Now the school has submitted a retrospective application to retain the unusual feature on its grounds.

The application says it was developed following the installation of drainage works on the school playing fields in August 2024.

The plans say:

“This installation left us with a significant amount of top soil to be repurposed. We wanted to find a sustainable way of dealing with the surplus soil, as well as minimising the cost of the project, and whilst some was spread across the site, we still needed a solution for the rest.

“We came up with the idea of creating a small ‘amphitheater’ style seating area at the side of the field next to the path, to allow easy access by class groups to use during the day as an outdoor classroom area.

“An amount of soil was deposited in this area and grass seed applied to make it usable.

“At no point did the Town Council or the drain contractors indicate that planning permission would be required for such a feature, so permission was not sought at the time.

“We have since be questioned on whether we have permission for such an installation, hence this application.

“The finished amphitheatre is now a real feature within our school grounds and is well used at both playtimes and by class groups in the summer.”

A decision on the application is expected next month.

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