Once it was known as the Cathedral of the North, drawing thousands of worshippers from around the district. Now it’s Bradford’s hot new address for city dwellers. Eastbrook Hall is a striking £12 million complex of apartments and retail space that has proved to be fit for a prince. Prince Charles visited the development last month to declare it officially open. During a tour of the site, he spoke to traditional craftsmen, including stonemasons and glaziers, who have worked on the ambitious three-year project, and he visited one of the apartments.

The Prince’s visit was the final finishing piece to what has been described at the city’s biggest-ever jigsaw. It has taken painstaking workmanship and millions of pounds to restore the long-derelict building.

Last time the Prince visited Little Germany, in 2001, many of its buildings were rundown and disused. Prince Charles urged his charity, the Prince’s Regeneration Trust, to get involved in the area’s regeneration, and last month he finally saw for himself what had been achieved.

Eastbrook Hall is the jewel in Bradford’s architectural crown. It rises like a ship from the cluster of Victorian buildings in Little Germany, built at the peak of Bradford’s textile glory years.

The former Methodist chapel, built in 1825 and rebuilt in 1904, has long been cherished by Bradford people. It attracted thousands of worshippers, many of whom lived within walking distance.

The 2,200-seater building was often packed for meetings addressed by some of the country’s best-known Methodist speakers. It was a focus of Bradford life, housing charitable works, a soup kitchen, evening concerts and a Sunday school. When congregations dwindled later in the 20th century, it continued to be used for community events and civic gatherings.

But in 1986, a couple of decades after dry rot was discovered in the building, its doors closed, and the building fell into neglect. A decade later it was partly destroyed by fire, and for the next ten years it stood empty and weed-choked, a crumbling symbol of Bradford’s one-time grandeur.

Then, thanks to Aldersgate Estates Ltd, the landmark property was given new life. The company began the ambitious process of converting it into apartments, and now it stands proud once again, its striking facade painstakingly rebuilt using a blend of original and new stonework.

The 72 apartments, located around a courtyard, are being marketed for rent by city living specialists the Smart Moves Group, which describes the development as the premier address in the city centre.

“It’s the number one place to live,” says Leigh Tasker, sales and marketing director for Bradford-based Smart Moves. “It’s a beautifully-restored historic building in an area of heritage, a place that’s special in Bradford. Little Germany is like a self-contained village, with a growing infrastructure of shops, bars, bistros.

“It has a real charm, with its cobbled streets and lovely old buildings, but with city centre amenities close by.”

Leigh says the current economic climate, and its effect on the property market, has given developers chance to take stock and reassess residential development.

“The principal positive in Bradford is that it hasn’t suffered from over-development. We’re not sitting on empty properties. There’s a healthy residential market in the city centre,” he says.

“We have to be realistic about the challenges ahead but the fabric of the city is Bradford’s biggest asset. There aren’t other cities in the North with the characteristics that Bradford has. Eastbrook Hall and other Little Germany developments make the most of the city’s historic character.

“While we need to be sensitive to Bradford buildings, there’s a place for modern, brave architecture too. Contemporary structures like the Gatehaus sit nicely with the Victorian architecture of Little Germany.

“A lot of developments in Leeds will look dated in a few years, but good use has been made of Bradford’s mix of old buildings. Now we have the opportunity to build on that and learn from Manchester, which has got the balance just right.”

Leigh says that for city centre living to work for a diversity of residents – rather than just transient young professionals and students – developers must take into account the wellbeing of people living in their buildings and encourage them to look after the properties.

“It’s about doing more to engage first-time buyers and owner-occupiers,” he says. “You can only breathe life into city centres if people are living here.

There are 73 properties in total at Eastbrook Hall, and Smart Moves has rented approximately half. A number are privately-owned and there are 14 more available to rent, with prices starting at about £425 per month. The construction team is putting the finishing touches to the final dozen properties.

The properties are a mix of studios, one and two-bedroom apartments and ‘duplex’ split-level properties.

Andrew McSweeney, a Phd student at the University of Bradford’s School of Management, lives in a two-bedroomed apartment. Originally from Hampshire, he has lived in Bradford as a student for six years.

“Before moving here, I’d lived in a mix of student accommodation and privately-rented places,” he says. “I had a look at several other developments but right from the planning stages I wanted to live here.

“I love going to the cinema and there’s Cineworld right across the road from here – that’s a big plus for me. It’s close to the Interchange, shops, Bradford Playhouse, the Alhambra, and there’s a bar and sandwich shop round the corner. I only have to walk five minutes to go bowling.

“As well as being a nice place, it’s convenient. There’s a good vibe in Little Germany. Living here, I have the advantage of being in a city centre without feeling like I’m in the middle of one. It doesn’t have an urban feel, it’s like living in an old village.”

After years of living in student digs, Andrew is enjoying the stylish living space he shares with a fellow student. “I was fed up of living in places that were sub-standard. This is a place I’m proud to invite friends over to,” he says.

“Some developments can be faceless; you can go ages without seeing other residents, but here there’s a courtyard overlooked by each block which creates a sense of community.

“I like Bradford; it’s a decent-sized city, but it’s compact and easy to walk around. It doesn’t have the confusing sprawl of bigger cities.”

Andrew does a lot of studying at home so his bedroom doubles as an office. “It’s essentially a working home for me,” he says. “Finding somewhere with rooms this size has been like gold dust. Because this was an old building, the rooms have high ceilings and the windows are huge, letting plenty of light in.” The two-bedroom apartment is a spacious, airy open-plan design. With white walls, timber laminate flooring and stylish kitchen and bathroom units, it’s a chic living space blending contemporary touches with original features. The kitchen has granite-look work surfaces integrated appliances, while spotlighting adds to the stylish ambience.

As well as breathing new life into old buildings, Leigh says city centre developments play an important role in energising urban areas.

“They create activity night and day in cities, which has a huge advantage in terms of safety,” he says. “The more people are around, the safer an environment will become.”

For enquiries about properties at Eastbrook Hall, contact David Harrison at Smart Moves Group on (01274) 304111 or e-mail david@smartmovesgroup.com