A SCHEME that will see some of the biggest changes to the city centre in years – including the pedestrianisation of Hall Ings - will begin this Summer.
A £43m project to make the city centre a more attractive place for pedestrians was awarded funding from Government in 2020, and work finally begins in July and is expected to last 18 months.
It will involve a stretch of Hall Ings from Bridge Street to Jacob’s Well being pedestrianised, with a huge extension of Norfolk Gardens.
Market Street will also be pedestrianised, and bus services re-routed down Well Street, behind the Broadway Shopping Centre, along with new “bus hubs” across the city.
The Jacob’s Well roundabout and underpass will be filled in, and a new “supercrossing” created across Prince Street.
The bottom of Little Horton Lane will be closed off to traffic.
Dubbed the Bradford City Centre Walking and Cycling Improvements Scheme, the work is part of the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund.
Although the main work will not begin until July, preparatory works have already begun.
Several young and some more mature trees surrounding the road network in the area will need to be removed prior to July in order to facilitate the construction of the scheme.
The removal of some of the trees will also help facilitate the future installation of a large digital screen to Bradford Live.
Bradford Council says younger trees will be removed, stored and replanted in other locations around the city centre.
A spokesman added: “Advice from tree experts is that many of the mature trees would not survive relocation and will unfortunately have to be felled. There will be a need to remove some more trees in the core of the city centre over the course of the construction period.
“However, as part of the scheme a total of 178 new trees, more than double the number to be removed, will be planted in the city centre, along with sustainable urban drainage and other planting. By the time the works have finished, there will be a considerable tree and biodiversity net gain in the city centre.”
Demolition of the closed NCP car park on Hall Ings is also due to begin shortly. The site of the car park will become a temporary works compound until it is replaced by a new entrance to Bradford Interchange.
Materials from that demolition will be used to infill the Jacobs Well underpass as part of the city centre walking and cycling improvements.
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “With our eyes firmly on being the UK’s City of Culture in 2025, the start of preparatory works on the city centre project is such an important step for Bradford.
“The project will produce a cleaner, greener and more accessible city with much improved transport networks, linking in to cycling, walking, bus, train routes. The potential for clean economic growth as a result of these investments is significant and I look forward to the changes on the ground taking shape.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “We are investing millions of pounds to transform Bradford and make it easier for people to walk, cycle and use public transport.
“We know these improvements will connect more people to opportunities, reduce congestion on our roads and improve the air we breathe.
“This is a great example of how together we are making the city an even better place to live, work and visit in the run-up to the UK City of Culture in 2025.”
The project will provide:
• 31,500m2 of new or improved public realm
• 13,500m2 of new green space – equivalent to two football pitches.
• nine new pedestrian crossings
• eight junctions improved for all road users
• six new bus hubs
• 2.1km of cycle lanes
• 1.6km of streets closed to traffic A consultation on the plans was recently held by West Yorkshire Combined Authority. It yielded a mixed response.
Among those supporting the scheme were Bradford Live, which is refurbishing the former Odeon. They said: “The addition of huge areas of public realm, green spaces and traffic free areas will be a fantastic asset to the city, making it feel a safe and welcoming place.”
But bus company Transdev said it did not support the scheme, saying: “No benefits to bus services or bus users has been evidenced. Buses need to be given greater consideration in the design.”
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