Bradford’s ambitious City Village regeneration initiative has been awarded over £13 million to help drive the development of up to 900 new homes in the city centre. This investment is part of a broader scheme by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) to kickstart housing projects on brownfield sites across the region.
The funding will support the early phases of the project, which involves redeveloping key sites, including the Kirkgate Shopping Centre and Oastler Market, as well as council-owned car parks around Chain Street. These areas will be transformed into residential communities as part of a wider effort to revitalise central Bradford’s housing market.
In addition to this new funding, the City Village project will benefit from ongoing support from housing developers. The development is expected to span multiple phases, with WYCA’s contribution covering the first two. The cost for these initial phases is projected at £33 million for Phase 1 and £58 million for Phase 2.
Bradford City Council has also moved forward with plans to use compulsory purchase powers, if necessary, to ensure the sites are cleared for redevelopment. The Kirkgate and Oastler Market locations will be vacated following the completion of the new Darley Street Market, which will replace the existing facilities.
The regeneration project is crucial for transforming Bradford into a more vibrant, sustainable, and community-friendly city centre. It addresses the shortage of new build homes in the area, with Phase 1 focusing on mixed-tenure townhouses and Phase 2 delivering rented apartments. Subsequent phases will provide additional rental housing, including around 630 apartments across multiple developments.
