A £28 MILLION office development in Bradford city centre will move to the next stage, and one Councillor has said the absence of such office space had “held Bradford back.”

One City park will be built on the site of the former Tyrls police station on the edge of City Park.

At a meeting yesterday West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Investment Committee yesterday a member of Bradford Council’s Executive said that although the Covid 19 Pandemic had raised debates about the future of office working, One City Park would be designed for the post pandemic needs of businesses.

During an online meeting the committee agreed to free up close to £2 million for the final preparations for One City Park before work begins. Members also agreed funding for another Bradford project - the Parry Lane Enterprise Zone.

One City Park is a £28.7 million Grade A office scheme that would create 5,400 m2 of commercial floorspace. It could bring 452 jobs to the centre and create another 300 during construction.

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The Authority, made up of the five West Yorkshire Councils, will provide £7.5m for the scheme through the Government’s Getting Building Fund - cash to help push through regeneration schemes. The rest of the cost will come from a loan being provided to Bradford Council Public Works Loan Board. The development will be designed, built and marketed by Muse Developments.

Bradford Council has been pushing for a Grade A office development on the site for a number of years, claiming existing office space in the city centre is not of a high enough quality to attract major companies to the city.

Councillor Alex Ross Shaw Executive for Regeneration, Planning and Transport on Bradford Council is part of the committee. He said: “I’m really pleased to see this move to the next stage. The need for office space has been a big debate during the pandemic. But I think the appetite for home working is beginning to fade, particularly as we’re in our third lockdown now.

“We’ve tried to anticipate business trends with this design. We know there won’t be demand for huge floor spaces for a single company. This will be much needed flexible, modern space that match current business needs.

“We want to attract new businesses, but the absence of space like one City Park has held us back.”

Work is expected to begin in November and be completed in December 2022.