Frustration at lack of work on Canterbury Youth Centre

Firefighters attended the former Canterbury Youth Centre, at the junction of Arum Street and Dawnay Road, following a call at 7.30am on Monday.

Crews found that the roof of the building, which has been plagued by fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour, was on fire.

The fire service warned people to avoid the area, and residents and businesses were asked to keep windows closed.

Firefighters at the scene (Image: Newsquest)

Canterbury Youth Centre, also known as the Arc Centre, was closed in 2020 due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Back in November, Bradford Council said it was to demolish the centre to make way for a new facility for young people in the "coming weeks".

On Monday, February 20, a spokesperson told the T&A work was being prepared before the fire and the demolition is now expected to be completed in the next three weeks.

Bradford-based charity, One In A Million, is currently applying for money from the government, so they can make use of the site.

Little Horton Ward Councillors, of the Bradford Independent Group, Noor Elahi and Talat Sajawal feel it is about time something is done.

Cllr Elahi said: "It is quite sad. It has just been neglected since I was elected.

"Residents have been complaining about the fly-tipping on the site.

"We have been pushing for the last seven or eight months for something to be done."

Pockets of fire could be seen on the roof as firefighters attempted to bring the incident under control with an aerial appliance. 

Cllr Sajawal added: "It is disastrous for that area.

"We only have the Council to blame. They have totally neglected Canterbury and that centre for a number of years.

"They put a fence around it a year ago. That was a stupid idea.

"Young people don't see fences as barriers, they see it as a challenge. That very same night, the fencing was damaged. It was a waste of money."

Fellow Little Horton Ward councillor Taj Salam (Labour) says Bradford Council is doing everything it can to ensure a "smooth transition".

He said: "The building is uninhabitable currently and mindless people see it as a target to set it alight.

"We did put some fencing around it which calmed it down for a little bit of time.

"But we were forced to take the fencing away because it was being vandalised.

"We need community intelligence to catch the perpetrators because the costs just take the money away from the area.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure it is a smooth transition to have a new facility."

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “The decision to demolish the building had already been taken prior to this fire and work had taken place to prepare for that.

"We will now spend the next couple of days making the building safe and then begin demolition. We expect the demolition to be complete within the next three weeks.

“In the long term, we hope to have a new, better, more modern youth centre built on the site for local children and young people."

A spokesperson from One In A Million said: "We had workers and volunteers who were in the area and witnessed the fire, it is so sad for the locality. 

"It is not for us to comment on as the property still belongs to Bradford Council, however, as reported in the T&A a few weeks ago we are working towards being part of a solution that we hope would bring a positive change with different outcomes for the community of Canterbury."

The Bradford Council spokesperson added: “Bradford-based charity, One In A Million, is currently applying for money from the government’s Community Ownership Fund (COF).

"They have been invited to the second round of the bid process which closes at the end of February 2023.

"If they are successful in the bid, they will receive a grant of up to £250K, for which they have match funding providing upwards of £500K to rebuild the facility on site.

"If successful with the bid, they will submit a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) application for the land at Canterbury Youth Centre which the CAT team have agreed to support.”