DESPITE all the false starts and less-than-illustrious history of the Broadway shopping centre project, the development is continuing apace and is already a fitting fixture on Bradford city centre’s landscape.

There is little doubt it will completely overhaul and enhance Bradford’s retail landscape – especially as hard work is under way to ensure the other, more established, shopping areas of the city centre will be encouraged to grow also.

The latest announcement, that the Broadway site will hopefully be home to a brand new “boutique” cinema complex, can only add yet further to this long-awaited development, and adds a whole new dimension to the project.

If approved by planners, the cinema would be located in Broadway proper, leading into the shopping centre, and help to – along with the food outlets which will be situated in the centre – create more of a leisure side to the project to complement the retail offer.

The model for including a cinema within a shopping complex has proved highly successful elsewhere – notably the Trinity shopping centre in Leeds – and the size of the project means it would not necessarily be in competition with the larger multiplexes.

It could help to create a more vibrant city centre after dark that is a place for people and families to safely mingle, eat and enjoy leisure activities – something that Bradford needs to cultivate.

This latest application must go to prove that Westfield is committed to making Broadway the best it can possibly be and that, when completed, it will be a huge boost for Bradford and its people.