Pavement and parking update to Bradford's North Parade works

The long-running saga began when Steve Davis, who owns Sally Brown’s on North Parade, applied for a lease with Bradford Council to open his ska and northern soul music venue in 2021.  

The much-loved dance hall and bar attracts people from across the UK, with some fans even travelling from Wales and Scotland to watch his bookings play.

During discussions with the Council, Mr Davis says he was promised extended pavements for outdoor seating following their success with city centre visitors during the pandemic.

The vow was part of the £2 million transformation works in North Parade and Bradford’s ‘top of town’ area.

The £2 million project underway at the top of town in Bradford on August 9, 2022 (Image: Newsquest)

But despite consultations and requests over the past year, the council’s drawn-up plans prioritised car park spaces over widened pavements.

He claimed Sally Brown’s would be forced to close after the venue’s first anniversary in late November.

“They just saw it as we just wanted the seating, just because everybody else is getting it,” Mr Davis said.

“We really needed it. We needed it more than anybody else, especially being a disabled venue.”

He added: “To put seating inside, tables and chairs, it will half our capacity.

“We were told we were going to get it, we built our business round it.

“We have all day events, charity events, if we’ve got 100 people in here it’s impossible for people to stand up from one o’ clock in the afternoon to one o’ clock in the morning.

“I would never have signed the lease unless I knew I was getting the seating.”

Mr Davis was left with the possibilities of closure or relocation when the Council U-turned on part of the North Parade plans.

A snippet of Bradford Council's new draft plan for part of North Parade, boosting pavement space for hospitality venues on the street while maintaining parking and delivery space. Pictures via Bradford Council documents (Image: Bradford Council)

In the updated vision, there will be wider areas of pavement allocated to hospitality venues – including Sally Brown’s and Bread + Roses café.

“It’s common sense,” said Mr Davis, who commutes from Wakefield to run his business.

“Hopefully it means we can stay, we will have space outside for at least 20 people to sit down.

“It’s going to be massive for us. We wouldn’t be able to survive without having this seating. It wouldn’t be cost effective to put events on.

“I’m happy with the outcome.

“It opens many avenues.”

A Bradford Council spokesperson, said: “We are investing heavily in North Parade to create a safe, healthy, attractive and community-friendly environment with high quality public spaces in one of Bradford’s most historic areas.

“During several widely publicised consultations, maps and descriptions clearly communicated that parking bays were proposed along the street including outside Sally Browns. 

“However, we have worked with our contractor, Sally Browns and nearby businesses and have found a solution which provides more space for outdoor trading for the firm whilst retaining sufficient parking spaces.

“Retractable bollards will create flexibility for street trading space at set times.

“We are confident the wider scheme will benefit all the local businesses and create high quality public spaces everyone will want to enjoy.”

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