THE owner of Bradford's Forster Square Retail Park is planning to significantly expand it on the site of a former Royal Mail delivery office.

British Land bought the prime city centre site - which borders the Broadway shopping centre - only months after it was closed by the Royal Mail in 2013.

It has now been in private talks with Bradford Council about using it to expand the retail park which could also include restaurants, a cinema and gym as well as shops.

The revelation was welcomed by Bradford Property Forum as being another boost in confidence for the city's economy.

British Land describes the scheme as 'Phase Three' of Forster Square Retail Park and early plans show eight ground floor units, a 14,000 square foot gym and 17,000 square foot cinema on the top floor and a 276 space car park.

MORE TOP STORIES

Council leader David Green said it was important any development complemented the continuing work to regenerate the city centre.

The site is located between Forster Square rail station's car park and Lower Kirkgate, and is only yards from the Broadway shopping centre which is set to open later this year.

British Land has also recently been granted planning permission for a major re-vamp of the existing retail park, which includes shops like Asda Living, Next, Sports Direct and DFS, as well as cafes and restaurants like McDonalds, Costa and Subway.

Cllr Green confirmed the authority had been involved in talks about the expansion plan.

He said: "The Council has had pre-application discussions with British Land. We will have to see what the final planning application looks like.

"The important thing is that any development complements what is going on with the regeneration of the city centre. It has to help the city centre and not pull footfall away from it."

Steve McManus, chairman of the Bradford Property Forum, said: "It is good news that plans are moving forward on this site, which is in a strategic place.

"It is directly between Westfield and Forster Square Retail Park. Any development there needs to complement what is already happening around that area.

"It shows that developers have confidence to invest in Bradford.

"It will support the city centre regeneration and create more jobs. By introducing leisure facilities, both local people and visitors will stay in the city centre longer, and it will become a more vibrant destination."

The changes to the existing retail park were approved by Bradford Council in February.

The works will make the park more pedestrian-friendly, and include new street furniture, a children's play area and better pedestrian links to the city centre. The pedestrian underpass beneath Hamm Strasse will be made more welcoming, with new lighting installed.

A new customer service lodge will be built to provide on site security and toilets, and there will be 40 cycling spaces created. The car park will be modified so it becomes a one-way system.

British Land said the improvements to the park were to prevent it becoming a "car only" destination, and because of public realm improvements at Forster Square station.

The closure of the Forster Square delivery office was part of a nationwide shake up announced by Royal Mail in 2010 and led to a significant number of jobs being transferred to another of its centres in Leeds.

Proposals for another new city centre cinema at 14-20 Broadway in the building now partly occupied by HMV, were announced last month by the owner of the Broadway shopping centre Meyer Bergman, which is advised by developer Westfield.

There has been a public exhibition of those plans, which include a six screen boutique cinema, bars and cafes, but no planning application has yet been submitted.