Work began in earnest today on Bradford’s six-acre City Park as contractors moved on site to begin clearing out the former police station.

This is in preparation for the partial demolition of the building in the New Year to make way for the mirror pool.

In addition roadworks will begin in January on Prince’s Way between Godwin Street and Jacob's Well roundabout. Bradford Council, with Yorkshire Forward, is leading the project, the first stage in creating the setting for Bradford’s business district.

Council leader, Councillor Kris Hopkins, said the project would create a fantastic park. He said: “City Park is about much more than creating an attractive urban environment, it’s about social and economic sustainability, job creation, economic investment, tourism and communities. It will make Bradford unique and position the city ready for the upturn in the market.”

Tom Riordan, chief executive of Yorkshire Forward, said: “The City Park scheme will not only be a flagship development for the city, but a catalyst to further development and inward investment as we move towards a better economic climate.”

Last month the Telegraph & Argus exclusively revealed that Yorkshire contractor Birse Civils had been appointed to the £24.4 million scheme. It is to make the remainder of the police station their site office for the duration of the development.

The highways works will begin the first week of January on Prince’s Way, which is used by 40,000 vehicles a day. These works aim to improve pedestrian crossing facilities across Prince’s Way, by replacing the two existing crossings with a more central one near the Alhambra and Odeon building. It will also enable the closure of Channing Way and bus services to be re-routed.

Temporary lane closures and diversions will need to be in place until late autumn 2010, although some work will be done through the night. This construction work is likely to cause delays in the city centre and advance warning signs have been placed on all arterial routes into the city.

Channing Way will be closed to traffic in spring, 2010, and replacement bus stops and shelters are being built along other streets in the city centre. These works are now in progress on Bridge Street, Broadway and Market Street and construction will start early in the New Year on a bus canopy in Hall Ings.