When it came to this year’s UK Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF), Bradford more than made its mark.
UKREiiF, which was held in Leeds, is the UK’s biggest real estate exhibition, and a key networking event annually connecting more than 10,000 Government representatives, investors, funders and developers from across the UK and around the world.
Bradford Council was present with its partners to showcase the investment potential and opportunities in the city and across the district. This year, Bradford Council also held a three-day showcase alongside UKREiiF, at the Leeds Mumtaz restaurant, a globally-successful brand which has its roots in Bradford.
The showcase was primarily supported by anchor sponsors Arup, Schofield Sweeney and Incommunities, and was an opportunity for industry key players to find out more about what is happening across the district and talk to those leading the work.
Strategic Director of Place at Bradford Council David Shepherd explained: “We’re the 11th largest city economy in England with the youngest, growing and most entrepreneurial population outside of London. UKREiiF and the showcase we hosted alongside it was an incredible opportunity for us to shine a spotlight on Bradford’s transformation and our commitment to a sustainable future.
“Events like UKREiiF and the Bradford showcase are crucial to make the most of the ever-growing interest in Bradford, to represent the impressive work that is happening here and to make meaningful connections with skilled delivery partners.
“More than 1,400 key players came through the doors of our showcase over the three days to understand more about the incredible development that is currently underway and see what we have planned with twenty five really strong leads for future opportunities directly generated, so watch this space.”
Graham Sweeney of Schofield Sweeney said: “Schofield Sweeney has been advising some of the district’s most exciting businesses for over 25 years. We jumped at the chance to support the Bradford Showcase and it delivered more than we expected.
“The event celebrated the success and opportunities the district can offer, and we were delighted to be a partner. Meeting so many businesses and making connections across various sectors was invaluable.
“There was genuine enthusiasm around Bradford, and the desire of private, public, and third-sector stakeholders to work in partnership for the city’s benefit was evident. Bradford is an exciting location for anyone looking to start, invest in, or grow a business. The event needs to happen again next year.”
Rachael Dennis, Chief Executive at Incommunities added: “We were delighted to sponsor the Bradford Showcase at this year’s UKREiiF. It was such a fantastic opportunity to work with Bradford Council and show everyone the great work that is happening to improve the lives of people living in our district.
“We’re proud to be part of a district that has such strong ambitions and plans, and one that offers a huge amount of investment potential and opportunities.
“At the Bradford Showcase we were able to share our investment plans for our existing homes and communities, as well as our commitment to invest over £25million each year to build new affordable homes within the Bradford district.
“UKREiiF
was the perfect platform to talk to investors, and public and private partners
about the development opportunities across the district; but also, the perfect
vehicle to discuss the ongoing work to regenerate communities which makes a
difference to people’s everyday lives.”
The first CGIs for Bradford City Village – which has been billed as Bradford’s most ambitious regeneration initiative since the 1970s – were revealed at the showcase, as momentum builds towards creating this sustainable residential neighbourhood in the heart of Bradford’s city centre.
Built across the ‘Top of Town’ and Darley Street areas which includes the Oastler and Kirkgate Shopping Centres, the new City Village will repurpose what was historically Bradford’s commercial and retail area. It will create 1,000 homes, as well as independent retail and leisure opportunities, business spaces and a high-quality public realm.
Bradford Council has been developing the plans in partnership with ECF (formerly the English Cities Fund). The new CGIs reflected the latest development of the masterplan, which had been shaped and refined following feedback from hundreds of local people during the initial public consultation programme which ended in January 2024.
Simon Dew, development director at ECF, explained: “Bradford is investing at an unprecedented level in its transport and public infrastructure to drive future success and realise its full economic potential. City Village is about responding to these new opportunities by balancing retail against other uses that will bring more people into the city centre.”
Bradford Council’s Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Transport and Planning Alex Ross-Shaw said: “We have an unprecedented wealth of ambitious regeneration projects currently underway, with a 20 to 30 year regeneration plan to maximise the potential of the whole Bradford district. City Village is the next stage of our ambitious regeneration programme to reshape our city centre.”
Other key development schemes are:
- One City Park (£35m, 65,000sq ft city centre office space) completed – PwC anchor tenants
- Bradford Live (£50m+ 4,000 seater indoor music venue converted from 1930s cinema)
- Darley Street Market (£23m new state-of-the-art indoor market with outdoor market square)
- High Point, a former commercial building converted into luxury apartments
- Pedestrianisation of Hall Ings to connect the Interchange to the multi-award-winning City Park (as part of wider large-scale improvements to the city centre to make it a more pleasant place to walk, cycle and spend time)
- Keighley regeneration (Funding of £33.6M through the Keighley Towns Fund, with key projects such as the Providence Park industrial hub well underway)
- Shipley regeneration (Funding of £25M through the Shipley Towns Fund, including key projects such as the rejuvenation of the market square) Decisions on the way the money is spent are made by Towns Fund boards for each town, which are made up of private sector representatives with support from Bradford Council.
Councillor Ross-Shaw added: “Key projects like One City Park and Darley Street Market are now nearing completion and City Village shows the direction of the city centre for the next ten years – quality housing, more public spaces and a shift away from an over-reliance on traditional retail that has now changed forever with online shopping and changing customer habits.
“This is a key step forward to unlocking the funding and investment required to deliver the necessary regeneration to Bradford city centre and provide jobs and opportunities to people across the district.”
City of Culture status will place Bradford district at the heart of the country’s cultural conversation attracting talent, and investment as well as creating new skills and jobs and building civic pride.
Bradford 2025 were at UKREiiF, alongside Bradford Council, across the three days. Daniel Bates, executive director of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, explained: “This is Bradford’s time. Business support helped Bradford to win the UK City of Culture title and our corporate supporters will help us to make the most of this once-in-a-generation opportunity for the whole district, working together to showcase Bradford to the world.
“Bradford businesses are brilliant advocates and champions for the city and there are many ways they can get involved in Bradford 2025, as partners or sponsors – plus opportunities for staff be part of our volunteer programme through their CSR schemes. Business leaders have a vital role to play in 2025; they’re a driving force that will ensure our UK City of Culture year has a transformational impact for the long-term.”
It is estimated that the year-long national culture showcase could bring an extra £136.9m into the Bradford district by 2030, creating more than 6,000 new jobs, delivering £389m of growth and attracting around 15.5m additional visitors.
Bradford Council Leader Susan Hinchcliffe said: “Momentum in Bradford is already building with nationally significant regeneration and infrastructure schemes and inward investments, as well as Bradford being the UK City of Culture in 2025.
“With a young, diverse, creative and entrepreneurial population of more than 550,000, Bradford is one of the most significant growth opportunities in the UK. This growth doesn’t just impact Bradford; it will bring benefits across the whole of the north by opening up further markets to business.”
Investors and regeneration experts at UKREiiF also discussed the unprecedented opportunities that better transport will bring and how a better-connected Bradford will drive growth and transform the north of England.
The event heard how Bradford’s proximity to Leeds and Manchester is one of its strengths and how plans to transform transport links is one of the key catalysts for strong economic growth.
Councillor Hinchcliffe explained: “We are investing in significant changes to the way people can access Bradford and from there, the rest of the north. Unprecedented investment in rail and the Mass Transit tram system will complement each other.
“The rail upgrades will serve longer distance passengers and Mass Transit will serve shorter distance trips, enhancing the way people travel and vastly increasing the capacity for development in Bradford itself.”
A new £2bn rail station in the Southern Gateway is crucial to integrating the thriving network of northern cities, directly linking Leeds, Bradford and Manchester. The ambition is for six trains an hour to run to Leeds, with a journey time as short as 12 minutes, and for a 30-minute journey time to Manchester via Huddersfield.
The Southern Gateway regeneration scheme centred around the new rail station offers a transformational opportunity for growth and prosperity. It will deliver new homes, offices, innovation, healthcare, retail, leisure and cultural facilities making Bradford an even more attractive and accessible destination. The scheme will generate substantial value not just for the investors and businesses in the city but in improving access to jobs and opportunities.
One of the critical elements to unlocking the full collective potential of the northern cities revolves around improving the transit of people across the region. Approximately 45,000 people commute between Bradford and Leeds each day, the largest flow between any two cities in the UK. However, 74% of these commuters currently travel by car.
Proposals have been agreed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for a Mass Transit tram system running between Leeds and Bradford and it’s hoped the early construction stage of the project will begin in 2028. Phase one would include a Bradford Line running from Leeds city centre to Bradford city centre, also linking Bradford Forster Square with the new Southern Gateway station.
In addition to the £2bn Southern Gateway investment, approximately £700m has also been committed to improving rail connectivity across the district and links to Leeds, over the next ten years. This includes agreed funding of £24m for considerable works – already underway – to the network of lines into and out of Bradford Forster Square station creating an additional platform to increase rail services and better connect the city, improving access from London to Bradford in time for UK City of Culture 2025.
(Images: City Village Images: Credit 5plus / Dematerial, 2024)
