A NEW park created in a densely populated, inner city area of Bradford has officially been named during a ceremony attended by Bradford's Lord Mayor.

Kashmir Park, built on an unused plot of land near the Scotchman Road allotment site, was officially named during the ceremony last week.

Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Shabir Hussain, local ward councillors and families attended the event.

The new name for the park was suggested by local residents living near to the park and championed by the three local ward councillors.

Bradford Council's Landscape, Design and Conservation team developed the new play site, working closely with healthy living project JU:MP, local families and the local councillors to transform the unused area into an play area that can be enjoyed by the wider communities of Bradford.

Unlike some play areas in the city, emphasis of the new Kashmir Park is on 'natural play', as well as providing a safe place for families to meet outside together.

Instead of swings and slides, wildflowers and tree planting work alongside landscaping to form natural elements with rocks and boulders for children to climb on.

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There are new footpaths and a wooded area to explore.

Over 2,000 children and local residents were consulted and were involved in helping to design the local play area which opened in June as lockdown restrictions were eased.

The project was primarily funded through JU:MP, a scheme funded by the National Lottery and Sport England to increase the amount of exercise children in some of Bradford's most deprived areas take part in.

Additional funding came from Public Health’s Living Well and the Emergency Active Travel fund.

Thanks to a European funded project INTERREG BEGIN, design measures including sustainable drainage and habitat areas have been created in the park to help mitigate the effects of climate change such as flooding, poor air quality, and other risks associated with extreme weather conditions.

Councillor Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: "This is a fantastic initiative that has taken many years of painstaking planning by the community, ward councillors, partner agencies and our own landscape and design team and the unveiling of the new name will mark the culmination of all that hard work and the children and families who have already been using the park will enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of it for many years to come."

Councillor Arshad Hussain, local ward councillor for Toller, said: “This park has quickly become a haven for local children and families to play and connect. I’m delighted to have been able to play my part in its creation. I’d also like to thank Saira Ali from the Council’s landscape and design team for her hard work on this project.”

As the project develops, further work is planned to further improve connectivity in surrounding streets, to encourage people to access the park and encourage sustainable transport to and from the local areas.