Almost a quarter of shops in struggling Bradford city centre are empty - well above the national average.

But the proposed £200 million Broadway shopping scheme would revitalise the city centre, a public inquiry was told.

The inquiry, expected to last about ten days, is investigating objections to compulsory purchase orders which Bradford Council wants to place on properties to enable the shopping centre to be built.

Protesters include London and Associate Properties, owners of the Petergate shops and office block where the scheme is proposed.

The inquiry is also considering planned road and traffic schemes included in the redevelopment to which campaigners - including the pressure group Transport 2000 which wants Forster Square station to link with the Interchange - have also objected.

The Council's barrister, John Hoggett, said Market Street divided the successful Kirkgate centre from shops at the bottom of the city and the Broadway development was desperately needed.

"For too long, large scale and modern retail development has passed Bradford by. It's Bradford's turn," he said.

"For too long Bradford has been in decline. The schemes before this inquiry present an opportunity for a change in the quality of shopping in Bradford."

Detailed plans to banish traffic from the city centre were also revealed for the first time at the hearing. The development would see the permanent closure of Petergate, with traffic re-routed from the city centre along the City Ring Road or Central Ring Road West.

A new link road would be constructed across the paved forecourt of Forster Square Station, which would be named New Cheapside, and Well Street would be pedestrianised. Dual carriageways would also be reduced to one lane on some city centre roads.

Bradford Council chartered civil engineer Michael Barford told the hearing the main principles of the strategy were to create access to the city centre from ring roads only and maintain bus routes.

l Prudential, owner of Bradford's recently refurbished Kirkgate Shopping Centre, today revealed it had withdrawn its objection to the compulsory purchase order for the scheme after an agreement to limit the size of the new shopping centre. Prudential said the Council has also agreed to a new package of improvements for the city centre.