The architectural splendour of Little Germany is one of the jewels in Bradford’s crown.

Flanked by the splendid Edwardian facade of Eastbrook Hall, the conservation area has, in recent years, been transformed into an urban village and business hub, attracting city dwellers and professionals.

But this week the district’s regeneration chief said plans to revive the historic wool merchants’ quarter had stalled – a sentiment echoed by people living and working there.

Councillor Dave Green, Bradford Council’s executive member for regeneration, claimed proposals to turn Little Germany into a self-contained village had “lost momentum”.

Coun Green said that following a decade of stagnation, and the scrapping of Bradford Centre Regeneration (BCR) last year, it was time to focus again on reviving Little Germany.

“When BCR was established, the Little Germany area was just subsumed into the city centre masterplan and it therefore lost its status as an independent and individual area,” he said.

“We had started to get people who wanted to develop buildings for apartments, and there is a large number there now. But the next stage was to encourage business, retail and leisure, so it would become a self-contained village, and that has not happened.”

In 1999, Little Germany was designated one of two areas gaining recognition from Prince Charles’s charity, the Urban Villages Forum. Described by the Prince as “full of potential”, it was meant to rank alongside residential, retail and business complexes in cities like Manchester and Birmingham.

Little Germany has seen a flurry of residential development over the past decade, with many of its historic buildings being transformed into apartment blocks.

Eastbrook Hall underwent a £12m restoration, and earlier this year the company behind it, Aldersgate Estates, said the building’s 72 apartments were almost fully-let. Commercial units at Eastbrook Hall remain vacant, however.

While Little Germany has attracted city-centre dwellers, its infrastructure has not matched its residential development.

Mike Cartwright, of Bradford Chamber of Commerce, based in Little Germany, says it’s time to focus on boosting business, including retail and leisure provision. “A few years ago, the Little Germany Urban Village Company did some good work in bringing the area into focus as part of Bradford’s regeneration. There were lots of residential projects, but I think it went too far in that direction,” he says. “Business and commerce is a key part of Little Germany, that’s the general feeling here. We need more business investment and activity.

“The area needs more footfall. It looks a bit barren sometimes, especially at night. We have a BD1 postcode but there’s that slight detachment from the rest of the city centre because of the Westfield site.

“Little Germany needs more bars and a couple of restaurants, not just for people living and working here, but to attract others, as part of the city centre. Businesses thrive off each other. We’d benefit from the kind of restaurant development that’s grown on Leeds Road.”

Mr Cartwright says it is up to businesses in Little Germany to work together.

“I’m not pointing the finger at the Council – we welcome the Council taking moves to improve the area and we’re looking at what we can do as businesses too,” he says.

“We have met businesses here in recent months and bounced ideas around. We’ve discussed putting on a mini festival next year or maybe an event linked to the Royal Wedding, involving the Cathedral. Obviously this would take some organisation, but the way forward is to pull together.”

This week, the T&A reported that a quarter-acre site next to the £22m Gatehaus apartment block could become a mixed-use development.

Bradford Council said the availability for development of the Gatehaus Phase Two site created the opportunity to continue quality regeneration already undertaken in Little Germany. The Council and Yorkshire Forward intend to seek a development partner.

Andrea Harris lives in the Gatehaus block, and would like to see more retail and leisure facilities nearby. “The benefit of city living is that you have amenities on your doorstep, but I feel cut off from the city centre,” she says.

“At night it feels lifeless in Little Germany, which is a shame as it’s a beautiful place with a lot of potential. If this was in Manchester or Leeds, it would have bars, shops, restaurants and a buzzing feel. I see no reason why we can’t do that here.”