The number of empty and boarded-up retail properties is one of the biggest causes for gloom in Bradford city centre, being a very real and concrete reminder of the recession and the fact that Bradford’s regeneration has not been as forward-moving as we would like.

So, it is heartening to see that a historic city centre pub with a chequered recent history is being brought out of mothballs and about to become a going concern once again.

Any such investment is good news, but the fact that the Jacob’s Well pub off Manchester Road is in such a prominent location on a major route into the city centre makes it especially positive.

The pub has been boarded up for months and the shuttered building does not form a particularly attractive gateway into the centre.

Perhaps even better news is that the pub has been bought by a local businessman who already runs one of the city’s popular real-ale venues, which somehow puts the icing on the cake. It feels indicative of Bradford’s own desire to better its position and outlook that this ambitious venture is born and bred right here in the city.

Let us hope that this is one of the latest green shoots which will lead to a full blossoming of Bradford’s recovery.

With the ongoing success of the City Park bringing more people into Bradford and promises that the long-awaited Broadway development will begin this year, perhaps we can now cautiously look forward to a time when Bradford begins to put its problems behind it and look to the future with some measure of confidence.