Bradford city centre alleyway linked to crime and drug taking to be closed off
The passage that links the city’s historic Ivegate to New Market Place has become infamous in recent years as an alleged hub of drug dealing and serious crime.
A CITY centre alleyway that has been linked to drug dealing and serious crime could be gated off over claims it creates issues “well beyond typical anti-social behaviour.”
But there are fears it could set a precedent – and lead to other public areas that suffer from anti-social behaviour being closed off.
The passage that links the city’s historic Ivegate to New Market Place has become infamous in recent years as an alleged hub of drug dealing and serious crime.
As well as cannabis dealing, police have been called out to reports of crimes including a rape and assault in the alley.
Now Bradford Council has submitted plans to gate off the alley in a bid to tackle the issues, with the authority saying the problems are “hindering business growth” in the area.
The planning application would see black wrought iron gates in an Art Nouveau style fitted at each side of the passage.
It is not the first time there have been proposals to fence off the alley.
In 2021 police had suggested the alley could be closed off to the public in a bid to stop crime.
But there was a backlash to the scheme, with concerns over blocking off a section of an historic public street. Bradford Civic Society was one of the groups to criticise the plans, arguing that hostoric public rights of way should not be lost.
The planning application by Bradford Council says: “Over recent years the alleyway has attracted a significant amount of antisocial behaviour and serious criminal activity.
“Many of the crimes reported have been of a serious nature and have resulted in a significant number of visits by the police.
“This level of attendance is considered to be unsustainable given limited resources.
“The increase in crime has had a negative impact on the area and is considered to be hindering business growth in the area.
“The issues at this site as well beyond typical anti-social behaviour issues experienced by city centres.”
It says the aim is to “restrict access to the covered section of alleyway, reduce crime in the immediate area and reduce pressure on police and local authority resources.”
Historic Ivegate is one of Bradford’s oldest streets, and was once one of the city’s main shopping destinations.
It also lies within the City Centre Conservation Area and is part of the £2m Heritage Action Zone, aimed at improving the appearance of city centre buildings.
Referring to the design of the planned gates, the application says: “The area is a particularly sensitive heritage area and the gates have been designed to sit comfortably in this setting.
“The design has been inspired by a number of gates in the city centre. This includes gates at 14 Piccadilly, Petherbridge Piccadilly, and Barclays bank on Market Street. These black wrought iron gates provide security to building frontages and rear yards whilst having a minimal impact on the streetscape.
“The design is loosely Art Nouveau in style.
“A Victoriana design was considered inappropriate.”
In late 2024 a Freedom of Information request was submitted to West Yorkshire Police asking for details of reported crimes in the alleyway.
The response from police said that since 2021 there had been a number of serious incidents linked to the alleyway.
They included two arrests for possession of cannabis, one for cannabis dealing, one for theft, one for assault causing actual bodily harm, one for obstructing / resisting a constable in execution of duty and one for the rape of a man over the age of 16.
Referring to the new plans, Jonny Noble, Chair of Bradford BID, said: “We would of course prefer to keep this route fully open, but the concerns raised by a number of partner agencies for some time now suggests gating off the alley is the best option at present.
“However, we would like to keep this under review going forward.
“It is essential that businesses in the area are fully consulted with and any final designs are in keeping with the heritage of the area.”
A spokesperson for Bradford Civic Society said: “We had previously objected to efforts to close off this historic thoroughfare, which risks removing a legitimate right of way that has been used by generations of Bradfordians.
“Following consultations over the design of the gates, and commitments over maintaining some seasonal access, the civic society acknowledges that it may help reduce some ongoing criminal activities.
“It does risk setting a concerning precedent around the removal of access to some of Bradford’s more interesting an historic streets. In other cities, they may be seen as an asset.
“The civic society notes that the practice of ‘designing out crime’ — sometimes referred to as hostile design — is currently under review nationally, and may have a future impact on approaches to issues of this nature in Bradford City Centre.”
A decision on the planning application is expected in June.