Odsal takes off again

In a surprise move, councillors last night approved a bid by Horsforth-based Sterling Capitol - which was involved in the development of Sunderland Football Club's prestigious Stadium of Light - to create a 30,000-seat arena.

It was one of three major decisions approved. The Council also awarded the Stadium Group - headed by millionaire property developer Eddie Healey - the right to develop a massive city centre leisure complex on the controversial Vicar Lane site.

The Stadium Group can now build a 16-screen cinema, a 100-bedroom hotel, six restaurants and caf bars, a bowling and family entertainment centre and a health and fitness centre on the Vicar Lane car park site.

And it approved a plan to sell land to Shipley based electronics company Filtronics for a factory at Charlestown, Baildon. But the regeneration committee agreed there should be a public meeting to give the residents all the facts about the expansion plans of Filtronics which could give employment to more than 400 people.

Officers will begin negotiations immediately for the sale of more than 15 acres of land at Otley Road but the sale would be dependent on the company getting planning permission for the development.

Sterling Capitol's Odsal bid, accepted by the Council's regeneration committee, beat off a number of rival bids including one from Chelverton Properties - thought to be the favourite - and the Alfred McAlpine company, builders of Huddersfield's new stadium.

The Council has agreed to build in stringent safeguards to ensure there is no repeat of John Garside's National Superdome plan which collapsed after five years of controversy.

One of the men behind Sterling Capitol bid said the Odsal stadium would be a smaller version of Sunderland Football Club's new Stadium of Light. The company's non-executive chairman is Bob Murray, chairman of First Division Champions Sunderland and a co-founder of the Spring Ram kitchen and bathroom group.

Sterling Capitol managing director Martin Croxen said they hoped to start work towards the middle or end of next year and expected the development to be completed 18 months later.

His project co-ordinator Mike Heydecke, who said he hoped the Bradford Bulls would stay at Odsal, said: "We are delighted and extremely pleased but we believe we have a scheme which is workable. It is sensibly based and some of the consortium members will be tenants."

It is understood that Tesco could become one of the main tenants in the scheme which Bradford Council hopes will bring to an end years of uncertainty over the Odsal site, home of the Bradford Bulls rugby league club. The complex is expected to bring at least 500 jobs to the district.

Chairman of the Council's regeneration committee Councillor Dave Green said: "I am delighted we have dealt with a number of schemes which will boost the economy and prosperity of the district."

He said the Odsal scheme was the best for the Bradford Bulls, nearby residents and the city and added: "We know of the history of problems in developing Odsal goes back many years, but we believe we have selected the scheme which is the most deliverable and meets the needs of the rugby club, the residents and the district."

The Odsal plan will centre on a 30,000-seater stadium which will have the capacity to be enlarged to 70,000 if required, plus cinema, superstore and range of leisure facilities.

Last night's decision follows the collapse of both the long delayed Odsal Superdome scheme and proposals by developers Finnegans for a multi-million pound leisure scheme in Vicar Lane.

Seven companies put in bids to redevelop the Odsal site and there were 20 contenders for Vicar Lane. One of them, Alfred McAlpine, developers of the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, home to Huddersfield Town and Huddersfield rugby league club, sent letters to committee members yesterday with further proposals including offering a temporary home at Huddersfield for the Bulls during building work.

The Odsal Dome Company, which planned a 70,000 seat arena covered by a sliding roof, five acre events floor and sliding roof came second.

Resident David Warburton who waited at City Hall for the result welcomed the Odsal decision. He said: "It is smaller than Superdome and less ambitious and therefore I think it is more deliverable."

But chairman of Bradford Bulls Chris Caisley today described the decision as bizarre.

He said: "We have had no talks with this company."

Millionaire pips rivals to Vicar Lane site

Multi-millionaire Eddie Healey has won his bid to develop a huge leisure scheme on Vicar Lane car park.

Mr Healey's company, the Stadium Group, wants to build a major city-centre complex which would include a 16-screen multiplex cinema.

Plans unveiled at last night's three-hour regeneration committee also include a 100-bedroom family hotel, six restaurants and caf bars, a bowling and family entertainment centre and a health and fitness centre .

The developers of the new Phoenix Park leisure centre at Thornbury, J J Gallagher, were just pipped at the post by Stadium.

It is understood both made substantial offers for the Council-owned site, valued at well over £6 million.

Stadium had always been tipped as the favourite for Vicar Lane because of the track record of the company, which built Sheffield's Meadowhall.

It also plans to buy the Exchange Court car park near the Quality Victoria Hotel for a four-level office block, which would tone in with the Telegraph & Argus building, Law Courts, hotel and public square.

Architects say the main features of the scheme, the cinema, bowling and family entertainment centre and three restaurants would form a sweeping arcade directly fronting the surface level of the main car park.

The hotel, health and fitness centre would be above the arcade and there would be three free-standing restaurants.

A small five-level multi-storey car park would be built at the side of the cinema, providing 372 spaces.

There would also be a three level car park at the front of the main arcade with 904 spaces.

The company says it has already had detailed meetings with major potential tenants. Hollywood Bowl, which had signed a contract with former developers Finnegans, has reaffirmed its strong commitment. The scheme, which could create 500 jobs, was agreed unanimously by the committee.

Committee chairman Councillor Dave Green said of the Vicar Lane scheme: "We believe the one we chose was the best, in terms of value for money and deliverability."

'Show us you mean business'

Developers of both Vicar Lane and Odsal were today being given deadlines to show they mean business.

Bradford Council has set dates of three months and six months respectively for the companies to make progress agreed with officers.

Long lists of conditions have also been made to ensure as far as possible that the schemes keep on course and there is no repeat of the drawn-out Superdome saga.

Regeneration committee chairman Councillor Dave Green said officers and solicitors were today getting to grips with the "nitty gritty" of getting both schemes going before autumn.

And he said the Council had admitted the selection procedure for the failed Superdome was "flawed."

The Odsal conditions during the first six months include agreement with Bradford Bulls for their continued use of the new stadium and confirming arrangements for play during the building period.

The company must also produce a scheme to deal with the site's landfill area and give information to enable the planning authority to decide whether a new application would be needed.

Market traders go to the Ombudsman

Tenants at Rawson Market have gone to the Ombudsman claiming maladministration by Bradford Council over the redevelopment of the main hall.

Their move came as the regeneration committee discussed behind closed doors a proposal by a private company to provide a new market on the site, with a link to Kirkgate.

Shopping giants Morrisons are also understood to be in talks over another proposal which could mean expanding its John Street premises and incorporating a market.

But the tenants, who claim trade has been decimated since they were moved into a temporary unit three years ago, said they had given evidence to Ombudsman Patricia Cooke over the handling of the affair.

John Parker, chairman of Rawson Market Tenants' Association, said the Council had promised a time schedule of two years for a return to the main site - and work had still not started.

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