Mediocre mall plan is insult to Bradford’s historic city centre

RECENTLY, I have seen architects’ drawings for the revised Westfield city centre shopping scheme in Bradford and understand that the city council is well disposed to approve the plans.

If the project looks heart-sinkingly mediocre in illustration, which it does, what it would turn out to be in reality does not bear thinking about.

It seems to be an identikit retail mall scheme of the lower common denominator, using the sort of unimaginative materials and design indistinguishable from similar such projects found in towns and cities across the country.

It does not characterise Bradford.

For example, the description of a mere pedestrianised street junction with the statue of the great education reformer, William Edward Forster, on it as a “new Forster Square” is an insult to civic intelligence and memory.

The original Victorian Forster Square was a full-sized public space and bustling commercial and transport hub.

Bradford, with is remaining magnificent 19th century civic and industrial architecture, deserves far better than what amounts to an out-of-town retail bunker plonked down defiantly by cynical profit and accountant-driven offshore developers in front of the cathedral, the old post office, Little Germany and the Midland Hotel.

From the plans, I note that as the scheme turns right up against the western side of Well Street, no protected provision is made for the course of a much-needed cross city centre rail link and new central station, for which there is considerable local support, notably within the business community.

Incredibly, neither the city council nor Metro seem to think this is worth consideration, let alone a priority. This is wilful myopia and stupidity of the worst sort at the highest levels.

Surely it should be realised that business growth always follows enhanced direct transport links of this kind. It also must be said, of course, that the great danger of building a Westfield-type development in a city centre is that it will drain away business from the existing older parts of the city centre thus leading to inevitable further decline there.

If this ill-judged scheme is to proceed, it ought to be cut back at its eastern/Well Street edge to preserve a corridor for the cross rail link to be constructed in the future when the financial situation improves.

Otherwise it will be at least half a century before Bradford has another chance to acquire the good direct rail links it deserves, when Westfield crumbles into the decline that assailed its equally mediocre concrete predecessor.