Tale of a city with a hole in its heart

When these adverts first appeared, there was a sense of optimism that Bradford was on the cusp of a new and exciting era. World-renowned architect Will Alsop was brought in to create a masterplan that would transform it into a vibrant, booming city and, in 2003, Bradford Centre Regeneration (BCR) was set up by Yorkshire Forward and Bradford Council charged with making this 3bn dream a reality.

Among the various projects which BCR has supported since then is the multi-million pound Park at the Heart scheme, based around the City Hall and incorporating a mirror pool – the largest water feature in any UK city. At the heart of Bradford's ambitious regeneration plans is the 320m Westfield shopping development, aimed at making the city a top retail destination.

However, six years after demolition work began on the 15-acre site, the long-awaited scheme has been put on hold until the economic climate improves. The city centre itself resembles a giant building site at the moment as old, unwanted buildings are demolished leaving behind big, unattractive holes – holes that need filling.

In a way, the city's fortunes are reflected in two of its most iconic buildings that stand next to one another – the Alhambra theatre and the old Odeon cinema. A stunning, Grade II listed building, the Alhambra once faced possible demolition in favour of a car park, before sense prevailed and it was restored to its former glory in 1986. Since then it has enhanced its reputation as one of the North of England's most prestigious theatre venues. The Odeon, on the other hand, hasn't fared so well. Once home to a huge auditorium that could hold more than 3,000 people, it's now a crumbling relic whose only inhabitants are the pigeons that dart in and out of the weeds sprouting from the rooftop.

It's a crying shame, because while some English cities are drab, concrete monoliths, Bradford certainly isn't one of them. It is home to the excellent National Media Museum, which last month hosted its annual international film festival to great acclaim, and in 2009 became the world's first Unesco City of Film. Then there's the architecture.

From the neo-classical elegance of St George's Hall, to the Gothic intricacy of the City Hall and the Wool Exchange, Bradford has countless resplendent buildings. Little Germany, once the city's merchants' quarters, is home to the greatest concentration of listed buildings anywhere in the country.

So what has gone wrong? Alan Hall, vice-chairman of the Bradford Civic Society, believes the city centre's current malaise can be traced back half a century.

"The problems in Bradford go back to the early '60s, when huge parts of the city were laid waste with hideous concrete blocks and, rather than rebuilding the Victorian and Edwardian buildings, we had this Sixties' brutalism." He feels the Westfield site and the Odeon are key to the city's future.

"Westfield is the major concern and our view is that it should become a permanent piazza and that the shopping mall idea should be scaled down, because we fear it would denude the other areas of central Bradford that have shops."

He disagrees with those who solely blame the recession for delaying the Westfield scheme. "There were concerns before the recession started, because key retailers were not prepared to relocate to Bradford, not in sufficient numbers. It's okay to talk about retail and there do need to be more shops, but there are other things that attract people to a city."

The civic society also has concerns about the Odeon's future. "At the very least the faade and the two towers should be kept. It could be a top conference and entertainment centre that would complement

St George's Hall and the Alhambra, creating a half moon of buildings," says Mr Hall.

"I don't think the powers that be have been as visionary as they could have been in terms of revamping the older buildings. There are these grandiose plans that appear every so often, but on the other hand there seems to be a small-town mentality among the council that Bradford is not really a major city but a carbuncle on the side of Leeds.

"Yet it could be a much more important city."

Last month, members of Bradford's Chamber of Commerce called for action from the council and Yorkshire Forward to attract more investors. Nearly two-thirds of the 100 respondents to a survey of local business leaders wanted to see greater action over city centre regeneration, with Bradford Chamber's President, Harold Robinson, saying the city centre "desperately" needed major improvement.

Abdul Farooq owns a clothes shop on Upper Millergate. He's been there for nine years but says it's difficult for independent shop owners to stay in business.

"The council needs to give more benefits to retailers to help them to stay, because all we are seeing is more shops closing.

"There are people I know who would rather close and come back a few years later when business has picked up, because at the moment it's on its knees," he says. "It's 15 minutes on the train to Leeds and people would rather go there and get a better shopping experience."

Mike Cowlam, Bradford Council's assistant director for regeneration, says the recession has had a major impact on city centre developments not only in Bradford and Yorkshire, but all over the country. He points to the collapse of major stores like Woolworths and Zavvi and the fact that retail development in the UK has dropped from 7bn in 2005, to

1bn last year.

He says: "Bradford is going through a difficult phase at the moment and there is a lot of construction in the city centre. But when that is completed, there will be more jobs and more people spending money in the city centre."

Mr Cowlam says the council is committed to the Westfield

development. "The scheme is behind the original schedule. We are all disappointed, the council is disappointed, Westfield are disappointed and we are working as hard as we can to make sure that at the right time the shopping centre will be built."

But that won't be for another two years when the retail market is expected to have picked up.

In the meantime, the council, along with Westfield and Yorkshire Forward, is funding a temporary community garden until work finally gets underway. But Mr Cowlam says Westfield is not the be-all and end-all. "There's more happening in Bradford since the recession started than in many other towns and cities in this area."

He says Bradford is seven years into a 20-year regeneration programme and that the city's dedication to fulfilling its long-term vision is "unwavering".

He points out that the 24m City Park is due for completion in 2011, and the 45m Southgate office and hotel development is nearly finished, while work has also started on a 40m project to build the most sustainable student village in the UK.

"I have great hopes for Bradford's future and I hope that people can see what is beginning to happen here."

Hopefully one day Bradford's masterplan will become reality, but for many people right now that day seems a long way off.