Bradford Live: Clarity desperately needed over city's unopened £50m venue says city business boss

Due to open this year it was on track to create an entertainment space that was anticipated to welcome 300,000 visitors a year for music, sporting and comedy events.

While work is clearly still taking place at the site, a considerable amount of speculation is mounting that about the venue’s future and involvement of the NEC Group as the venue’s operator.

Concerts and events that had been booked are now longer listed for ticket sales on the Bradford Live website.

The venue does not appear on the operators the NEC’s website.

It is reported that the regeneration scheme has so far cost over £50m, most of which has come from Bradford Council. Opposition councillors have recently said they are “as much in the dark as the public” about the situation.

Given the importance of Bradford Live to the city’s future, and the fact that Bradford City of Culture is now just a few short months away from taking place, the Chamber joins with many of our city’s other institutions in seeking clarity about the state-of-play with the venue, from the NEC, from leaders at Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Bradford Live itself.

With so much positive momentum currently behind the city ahead of Bradford 2025 and so much regeneration works currently underway in the city, it is crucial that we obtain clarity about the Bradford Live venue’s status.

Our membership has grown restless and the lack of clarity in media reports has been unhelpful with regards to both the morale of business and ability to attract investment into Bradford.

Bradford Live would be the latest glorious chapter for a building that has been synonymous with the city’s culture for nearly century.

This is a building in which The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Tom Jones have performed.

For thousands of Bradfordians, it has been part of their lives, whether it was that first trip to the pictures as children, meeting your partner or taking your grandchildren.

The scale of opportunity that Bradford Live presents not only for this city but for the North of England is massive and so therefore we call upon all parties to dampen speculation with a clear unequivocal backing for the project’s future.

We at Bradford Chamber are under no illusions as to the scale of the difficulties our economy is currently facing.

However, communication breeds confidence and silence merely brings fear, something that our city does not need during this pivotal time in its history.

It is therefore vital that we get the clarity we so desperately need.

Mark Cowgill is President of Bradford Chamber of Commerce and Acquisitions Director at Talk Straight