MILLIONS of pounds has been granted to make sure some of the biggest regenerations projects in Bradford get off the ground.

A city centre office block, an "urban village" and an enterprise zone are among the local "shovel ready" projects to receive Government funding through it's Getting Building fund.

But some local politicians have questioned which schemes were chosen, with one Bradford MP critical of the fact that funding seemed to ignore the wider District.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority yesterday announced that 15 local schemes would receive £52.6 million in funding from the Government.

This included over £9 million towards the One City Park office development, millions towards a new enterprise zone at Parry Lane and £3 million for the first phase of the “City Village” development of hundreds of homes in the city’s Top of Town area.

The Authority, made up of local Councils, said that in total the 15 schemes will create almost 2,300 new jobs and safeguard a further 500 jobs.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leader of Bradford Council, said: “The 15 projects that were put forward to receive funding are integral to West Yorkshire’s economic recovery plan and will ensure the benefits are felt across a wide range of communities and economic sectors.

“The projects focus on areas vital to a successful, and inclusive recovery, such as regenerating our towns and cities, support for business investment and jobs growth as well as opening up new walking and cycling routes.”

The projects include

- £7 million towards the Business Growth Programme – A grants scheme to help businesses recover and adapt following the lockdown.

- £9.07 million towards the Enterprise Zones at Parry Lane in Bradford and Langthwaite in Wakefield – Further funding to extend existing sites and open up more land to meet industry demand, creating up to 400 jobs when complete. A planning application for the Parry Lane scheme was submitted earlier this year.

- £7.5 million towards Bradford One City Park – a £25m scheme to create new Grade A office space in the city centre. This is expected to create 300 construction jobs and another 452 jobs when complete.

- £3 million towards Bradford City Village phase 1 – The first phase of a ten-year plan to create up to 1,000 new homes on the site of the Oastler Market, which will be flattened when the new Darley Street Market is complete. It is expected to safeguard 300 existing jobs and create 400 new jobs.

- £500,000 towards Leeds Liverpool Canal – Completion of the remaining 2km of canal towpath on the Leeds Liverpool Canal providing continuous walking and cycling route from Leeds City Centre towards the Yorkshire Dales. - £1.8 million towards Brighouse A6025 Reconstruction – A scheme to reopen a road which has been closed since a landslip in February.

- £1.2 million towards Beech Hill Phase 2 Group Repair & Regeneration Scheme – A package of measures to retrofit homes with new insulation, windows and doors to improve energy efficiency. This is expected to create 13 construction jobs.

- £1.365 million towards Huddersfield George Hotel acquisition and remedial works – A scheme to buy and redevelopment a grade-II listed building next to Huddersfield Rail Station and transform it into the new National Rugby League Museum with a restaurant, bars and new office space. This is expected to create 174 new jobs with an additional 13 construction jobs.

- £600,000 towards Dewsbury Arcade – A scheme to restore and reopen the grade-II listed Victorian Dewsbury Arcade, part of Kirklees Council’s ten-year plan for Dewsbury town centre. This is expected to create 30 new jobs with an additional 10 construction jobs.

- £8.6 million towards Leeds City Park - City Park - A scheme to transform road space in the South Bank area to create the largest new city centre park in the UK and improve cycling and walking facilities in one of Europe’s largest regeneration programmes.

- £2.604 million towards Holbeck Phase 2 Victorian Terrace Retrofit – The next phase of a project to improve housing in Holbeck, one of the most deprived areas in the UK, whilst also tackling anti-social behaviour and improving access to jobs and education. This is expected to create 30 construction jobs.

- £7.4 million towards Temple Green Park and Ride Expansion – The creation of 400 extra parking spaces at the existing facility in East Leeds helping to reduce congestion and air pollution in the city centre. This is expected to create 24 construction jobs.

- £661,000 towards Wakefield Warm Homes Fund – A scheme to improve energy efficiency in low income households helping to reduce fuel poverty, carbon emissions and tackle health inequalities.

- £300,000 towards the Business Gigabit Voucher Scheme – Helping businesses and homes connect to super or ultrafast broadband as well as installing new wireless and 4G/5G networks in community locations

- £1 million towards Knottingley Skills, Business and Services Hub – A scheme to upgrade the existing Kellingley Club building to create a new community hub to help people access education, training and careers support. It will also offer help to local businesses and start-ups.

Announcing the grants yesterday, Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: “As we get Britain building we are also laying the foundations for a green economic recovery by investing in vital infrastructure for local communities, creating jobs and building environmentally-friendly homes with a huge £1.3 billion investment announced today.

“This Government is determined to level up all parts of the country and this funding will not only give a much needed boost to our economic recovery, it will help build the good quality, affordable homes the country needs.”

Shipley MP Philip Davies has regularly claimed that schemes in and around Bradford city centre are often given priority over projects in other towns and villages in the District.

He has also campaigned to split Keighley and Shipley off from Bradford, creating a new Council.

In response to the funding announcement he said: “As usual Bradford Council, and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority chaired by the Leader of Bradford Council, prioritise requests for funding on projects in Bradford itself and ignore the needs of the outlying parts of the district.

“This is another reason why the Shipley and Keighley constituencies need to separate from Bradford Council and form our own local authority so we can have a proper voice on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Once again it is clear that Bradford Council is only interested in its Bradford heartlands rather than the rest of the district.”

Councillor Debbie Davies (Cons, Baildon) has previously questioned the decision to invest in the One City Park scheme. 

After hearing of the new funding she said: “I welcome government funding coming into the District, particularly the £7m grants scheme to help businesses recover and adapt following lockdown and funding to upgrade the canal towpath for walkers and cyclists.

“I do however remain sceptical of the need to create office space in Bradford City Centre particularly given that many businesses seem to have adapted well to home working.

“Although the funding announced today is £7.5m towards this the total cost is estimated at around £25m so that is a lot of money still for Bradford Council to have to borrow.”