Bradford City Village project will breathe new life into city centre - councillors hear
The scheme will see 1,000 homes built on three sites in the city centre – the former Oastler Market site, the Kirkgate Centre site and car parks near Chain Street
Last updated 22nd Sep 2025
THE proposed City Village development will help move Bradford away from being a city centre that “empties out at 6pm” – a meeting has been told.
A committee of Councillors from across the District and across different parties were given an update on the huge regeneration scheme at a meeting this week.
The scheme will see 1,000 homes built on three sites in the city centre – the former Oastler Market site, the Kirkgate Centre site and car parks near Chain Street, off Westgate.
The planning application for Phase 1 of the works was submitted earlier this month.
And on Tuesday members of Bradford Council’s Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee were given an update on the development.
The scheme is being delivered by ECF (the partnership between Homes England, L&G and Muse) and Bradford Council.
It has already secured major inward investment, including £13.2 million in-principle funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, a strategic partner which is helping to make the scheme a reality, alongside £30 million of Government funding via Homes England.
At the meeting members were told that despite housing provider Incommunities being a part of the project, the focus would not be on social housing, but on making the city centre a more attractive place for developers and investors.
Councillor Anna Watson (Green, Shipley) said: “I see some of the housing will be affordable, but it doesn’t say if there is any social housing.”
She was told that the Chain Street aspect of the scheme would see a mix of homes that were shared ownership and affordable rent.
Councillor Alex Ross Shaw, Executive for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “We do want to increase social housing across the District. But with this we want to lift the market in the city centre by providing quality housing. We’re not looking at large scale social housing with this.”
Members were told that the high costs of developing the city centre sites would mean any social housing would require a huge amount of public subsidy – on top of what is already being provided.
Cllr Watson asked if the homes would be hooked up to the District Heat Network, a low carbon energy network being developed in the city centre.
She was told that would prove too costly for the developers the Council is working with, but the housing would have environmentally friendly features such as head pumps and EV charging points.
Dave Shepherd, Director of Place, told the committee the development needed public money because the “viability gap was too high for the private sector.”
He said the low value of properties in the city centre meant few developers were willing to invest in high quality housing, and the hope was this subsidised scheme would turn the city centre’s fortunes around – making it a place where future developers feel they will get a return on their investment.
He told members another aim was to make the city centre a “vibrant” place, even after shops shut and workers went home.
The scheme will include ground floor business units that could be taken up by shops, cafes and bars, as well as a number of new parks and green spaces.
Mr Shephard said: “We want the City Village to get to a point where it can sustain further retail activity and a nighttime economy. It will be a place where there is activity 24/7, rather than a city centre that empties out at 6pm.”
Simon Woodhurst, regeneration development manager, pointed out that although the Council has been a major part of the scheme, it would soon be taking a back seat in the City Village development.
He said: “The Council’s role in this process is to provide a platform for the developer to build their development.
“Once we’ve done that it is all the developer’s responsibility – demolition works, enabling works, green streets.”
The scheme was also discussed at a meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority on Thursday, where members voted to release £1.2m of funding to develop the plans for Phase 2 of the project.
Bradford Council Leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe said City Village would make the city centre “a great place for people to live and work.”
Councillor Denise Jeffery, leader of Wakefield Council, said City Village was a “top priority” for Bradford and West Yorkshire, adding: “It will create a real shift in the residential market and be an important step in creating a better future for Bradford.”