BRADFORD city centre will benefit from up to £2.5 million in investment on improvements to create a “vibrant experience”, if a new five-year plan is given the green light.

The strategy was put forward by Bradford Business Improvement District (BID) at a launch event for its fresh 2023-28 business plan at The Light cinema, in The Broadway.

The BID’s first term comes to an end later this year and the organisation will be launching a ballot at the end of August to secure a second five years.

Almost 600 levy-paying businesses and organisations will be asked to support the BID by voting “Yes” in the ballot at the end of August.

It comes to a close on September 28 and the result will be announced the following day.

If the BID secures enough positive votes, the new five-year business plan will go ahead.

Ian Ward, chairman of the BID and also general manager of The Broadway shopping centre, said at the event: “The business plan will look and feel different.

“It is not about five years of low-hanging fruit anymore, of doing all the things that we need to do that is always in one first term of the business plan.”

He outlined that the group will turn it up another 25 per cent and be more strategically focused.

The details of the plan were presented by BID manager Jonny Noble to an audience of business owners and leaders, with up to £2.5 million expected to be spent on improvements over the five-year period.

The raft of proposals include working closely with partner agencies to reduce street begging, rough sleeping and other antisocial behaviour and improving the look and feel of the city centre via schemes such as additional lighting, street dressing, floral planting and greening.

There will also be projects run to encourage further investment into the city centre; developing more major events or festivals; working directly with the City of Culture Team and partners to maximise opportunities in the lead up to, during and after 2025; and overseeing marketing and promotion activities to project the city centre to a far wider audience.

Mr Ward said: “Our vision is to build a city centre that is even cleaner and safer, that is dynamic, packed full of life and culture, which is prosperous and thriving, with new developments like One City Park, Bradford Live, Darley Street Market, the City Village, and the transforming projects, such as the new Interchange station entrance and Hall Ings pedestrianisation.

“There is no more important time to have in place an organisation dedicated to ensuring Bradford presents its best face to the world.

“The next five years will present a crucial opportunity to change our city’s culture and economy for the better to create a new landscape for a brighter future.

“If we get it wrong, the cycle for change will be many years away again.

“We have one opportunity.

“The BID is a limited not-for-profit company funded by a small levy on businesses and organisations within a specified area of the city centre. It is run by an operating board made up of representatives of all sectors and the levy take is used for projects to help promote and develop the city centre.

The organisation has delivered or planned 453 projects and generated more than £500,000 in additional income (on top of the levy) to date.