Almost £3m of funding granted to redevelop historic Bradford building which 'splits opinion'

The £9.4m scheme to convert High Point on Westgate into 87 apartments and ground floor commercial space was first announced earlier this year.

This week, members of West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Investment Committee voted to give the project £2.9m funding to help get it off the ground.

It will come from a “Bradford Heritage Buildings” fund set up by the authority, which is made up of five local councils.

The redevelopment of Grade II listed Victorian Warehouse Conditioning House into housing received £1.5m funding from the pot last September.

At the committee meeting members heard that although High Point was very different style of building than Conditioning House, its redevelopment would still give a major boost to Bradford city centre.

Built in the 1970s as the headquarters for Yorkshire Building Society, the long empty concrete skyscraper is seen as many as one of the city’s biggest eyesores. And a report to members of the committee described the crumbling concrete building as a “symbol of market failure.”

The development of the project will be carried out by Circus Developments, but members of the committee were told that the high cost of converting the building meant a grant was needed for any significant work to take place.

Polly Hutton, an officer for the scheme, said the Authority funding was to deal with “structural enabling works constraining the re-development of the building.”

Planning permission had already been granted, and work could start as soon as next month.

Members heard that the area around High Point was due to undergo a major redevelopment in the coming years.

Oastler Market, opposite High Point, is due to be demolished when Bradford Council’s new Darley Street Market opens.

The site is then due to be developed as the “City Village” made up of around 1,000 homes. Bradford Council hopes the scheme provides a major boost to the “top of town” area of the city centre, as well as creating much needed brownfield housing.

Councillor Alex Ross Shaw, Executive for Regeneration, Planning and Transport is on the Investment Committee, and said: “I’m really pleased to see this scheme come forward.

“In the past we’ve talked about Conditioning House, an old mill that has stood empty for 25 years. This isn’t an old mill building, but it has also stood empty for almost 25 years.

“It is a very different aspect of Bradford’s architectural heritage. It splits opinion quite a bit, but Bradford Civic Society held an event about High Point and quite a few people do like the building.

“It tells the story of a period of Bradford history, and to be able to be part of restoring that is pleasing.

“We’re labelling that part of Bradford the City Village and we are opening up a lot of development sites there. This is a step in the right direction for Bradford city centre and I look forward to watching this building’s restoration.”

Members then approved the funding.

The report to the committee said work could be completed as soon as January 2022.

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