Site investigations begin for city regeneration project
Site investigation works are due to begin on the proposed site for One City Park, Bradford.
Urban regenerator, Muse Developments, is looking to refine the building’s design prior to submitting a planning application later in the year.
Allied Exploration and Geotechnics will be on site from mid to late June for three weeks to drill and excavate several bore holes and trial pits within the site boundary.
This investigation is being completed to ascertain the ground conditions on the former police HQ site.
Muse was selected by the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in 2019 as its development partner to bring forward a 56,403 sq ft office building, along with complementary public realm adjacent to Centenary Square, as part of wider regeneration of the city.
Simon Dew, development director at Muse Developments, said: “Conducting this site investigation is a key piece of work, which will enable us to refine our designs for this best-in-class office building.
“Given the current COVID-19 restrictions, the works will be delivered safely and within current Government guidelines.
“One City Park forms an important part of the council’s city centre masterplan, and we’re delighted to be bringing forward a scheme that will attract new occupiers to Bradford, reinforces the city centre as a fantastic location for business, and importantly drive both economic and social prosperity when it’s needed most.”
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s executive member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “I’m delighted that Muse Developments are now able to get on site, working safely and adhering to social distancing, and take the next step towards Bradford city centre having a striking, energy efficient and state-of-the-art mixed use building at its heart.
“We are aware of the debate, prompted by the Coronavirus pandemic, around whether there will be a potential reduction in demand for office space in the future, and indeed whether the era of the traditional office is already in the past.
“A key part of our future thinking about One City Park and other developments across the district will be to address those predicted demands for flexible workspaces as businesses shift to a mix of home working and modern office working based on agile and flexible teams making best use of technology.
“Regardless of how different the completed One City Park might be from the pre-coronavirus concepts the development and our partnership with Muse is still essential to the future economic prosperity of the Bradford District.”
