It is very encouraging that the launch of Little Germany as an "urban village" has got off to such a good start with the news that two major buildings in that unique area of Bradford have attracted buyers who want to turn them into homes.

We have repeatedly expressed our support for the idea of encouraging people to live in the heart of the city. Mixing residential accommodation too closely with leisure attractions such as late-night clubs can throw up unforeseen problems such as those highlighted recently following complaints about noise from flat-dwellers in Cheapside. But in principle it can only be good for a city centre to have people living in it 24 hours a day.

The companies which have announced their intention to build homes in Little Germany - loft apartments in the former Silens Works and flats in Treadwell's Mill - will be following on the heels of the successful redevelopment of a former mill in Currer Street by the North British Housing Association, which has a waiting list for its flats.

What Little Germany needs now is a high-profile project that is neither housing nor offices. It already has the Design Exchange, but it could do with something else not only to draw visitors to the area but also to entertain the people who live there.

Ironically, the Treadwell Gallery is the sort of attraction Little Germany needs to make the area fun as well as functional. With it long gone, Bradford needs to look for another project to enrich the mix of this prestigious part of the city.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.