The vision for the future of Airedale put forward by consultants Arup for the valley and its towns is an exciting one. The masterplan is packed with imaginative ideas for business, industry, leisure and transport which would transform the district into a high-tech zone able to compete with anything the rest of the country has to offer.

Shipley railway station revitalised and incorporating a "digital college"; a financial-sector base at the former Bingley Auction Mart and a new shopping mall for the town; a glass tower at Keighley housing the research and development headquarters of a "nano-technology and robotics firm" and a new 25,000-seater stadium for Keighley Cougars and other sporting activities; a glass canopy over an open-plan plaza in Shipley; improved highways and, perhaps most exciting of all, the prospect of a tunnel to ease congestion between Bingley and Bradford....

All these things are still very much at the ideas stage, of course. For any of them to become a reality would require a massive amount of consultation, colossal investment and a great deal of faith. But this is a fine starting point for discussion of what might be achievable if investors can be persuaded to share the same sort of vision for the Aire Valley, which already has more than a toe-hold in the high-tech sector.

Along with the ambitious redevelopment of the city centre which has already begun under the umbrella of Bradford Centre Regeneration, these new proposals tell the world that this is a forward-thinking district which has high hopes for its future prospects.