Bradford council chief hits back over One City Park concerns

The £35 million development on the edge of City Park - which was officially completed in December last year - was funded mostly by Bradford Council, with £7.5m coming from the Government.

One City Park welcomed its first workers in August when accounting giant Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) moved around 200 staff from its existing office on Godwin Street to the new site. 

As reported by the Telegraph & Argus earlier this year, the company plans to eventually recruit another 300 employees who will be based at One City Park.

According to property firm Knight Frank, which is marketing One City Park, the building provides 56,403 sq ft of office space. Of that, 29,255 sq ft is remaining.

PwC staff in One City Park after the firm moved into the site (Image: T&A) Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council's executive member for regeneration, planning and transport, said the business case for One City Park has "always been robust" - but concerns have been expressed among opposition leaders. 

During a meeting last week - which saw Bradford Council's Labour leadership survive a vote of no confidence in a motion brought by the Tories - Councillor Rebecca Poulsen, leader of the Conservative group on the Council, highlighted half-let One City Park as one of the authority's "failures" .

Is it a good use of taxpayers' cash?

Cllr Poulsen told the T&A: "My colleagues and I have had concerns regarding the One City Park project since it was first mooted.

"We were told before construction had commenced and throughout it taking place that there was a lot of interest - so if genuine, where has this evaporated to?"

Cllr Brendan Stubbs, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Bradford Council, questioned whether One City Park was a good use of taxpayers' cash.

He said: "As things stand, only 50 per cent of the space is occupied - and like many of Labour's regeneration projects, One City Park has failed to deliver what was promised, leaving residents to pick up the tab.

"So far One City Park has contributed almost nothing to regeneration in Bradford."

Cllr Matt Edwards, leader of the Green Party group on Bradford Council, said: "Without seeing the full financial information, I'm not really sure that anyone should be commenting on the viability of One City Park."

He added: "We all want our city and district to be a success, but, given the lack of trust that the public has for the way Labour is running Bradford right now, we need to see them do things differently.

"I urge the Council's leadership to be much more open and transparent, not just about the One City Park but also the other regeneration projects across the district."

'Robust business case'

In response, Cllr Ross-Shaw praised PwC's "long-term commitment and investment in our city".

"They're creating hundreds of jobs over the next few years - if that's not a metric of success then I don't know what is," he said. 

"PwC's investment into Bradford is something that has only been possible because of our investment in One City Park."

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council's executive member for regeneration, planning and transportHe added: "The business case for One City Park has always been robust.

"It's a scheme to attract new, high-quality jobs into the heart of the city centre for the long-term which is in stark contrast to the alternative which is the status quo and managed decline being put forward by the Conservatives.

"We've seen what the country looks like run by the Conservatives and the public has just decisively rejected it.

"In Bradford we've taken a different course and chosen to invest in our future, which has helped us become the UK City of Culture in 2025 and will provide jobs and opportunities for people across the district for many years to come.

"It's telling the Bradford Conservatives and other opposition members don't see this as a worthwhile endeavour, but for Bradford Labour it's central to everything we do."

One City Park (Image: newsquest) Earlier this year, Andy Ward, PwC's market senior partner for Leeds and Bradford, was asked by the T&A about the fact that much of the funding for One City Park had come from the Council. 

He said: "I'm glad they have done it.

"I'm pleased City Hall had the confidence to make this happen - it needed to happen."