City agrees three regeneration partnerships

Bradford Council has announced regeneration collaboration agreements with three national partners, further supporting the ongoing transformation across the city centre.

Three major partnerships have been agreed this week involving Homes England, English Cities Fund, and UK Infrastructure Bank.

Bradford Council will collaborate with Homes England and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) to support the delivery of over 7,000 potential new homes across the district, after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The new agreement will help unlock infrastructure, resources and support to deliver affordable, good quality housing in major regeneration areas across the district and beyond.

Bradford Council also signed a pre-development agreement with Muse Places/English Cities Fund (ECF) – which brings together Muse Places, Legal and General and the Government’s levelling up agency, Homes England. This second agreement will begin the detailed preparation work to deliver the development of the City Village Regeneration scheme that will provide up to 1,000 further new homes in the heart of the City Centre which includes the former Kirkgate and Oastler Centre sites.

Additionally, a third partnership has been agreed with UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB), which will see UKIB provide technical assistance and strategic advice on the delivery, finance and options for the proposed new rail investments and landmark Southern Gateway regeneration.

Cllr Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford Council, said: “Bradford is very much open for business, we’re one of the country’s biggest regeneration opportunities and attracting a range of major national partners to help us achieve our commercial ambitions along with a quality housing pipeline to support Bradford’s future growth.

“This is a really exciting time for the District, we are enabling a number transformational projects which will boost the energy and vibrancy of the city centre and position it perfectly for the future. Many of these projects are now nearing completion such as Bradford Live, One City Park, Darley Street Market and North Parade public realm improvement schemes and we are preparing for Bradford 2025 which will further strengthen our investment offer.

“Through this strategic place partnership – only the third of its kind to be launched in the country – Homes England has demonstrated its support for our vision and ambition to transform prime sites across the district.”

Kersten England, chief executive of Bradford Metropolitan District Council added, “City Village is one of our most significant developments, it will help set the tone for the future city centre residential offer and we are delighted to have secured this partnership with ECF to now take the scheme forward to delivery of 1,000 new homes in the City Centre.

“Housing plays an important role in the Bradford offer, and WYCA’s work with Homes England will go some way to helping us deliver the homes that we will need to shape a brighter future here in the district.

“Our collaboration with UKIB will help us look at investment options, funding models and the practicalities of market and state finance to realise our regeneration ambitions. Bradford has a pivotal role to play across the whole of the North of England – a successful North needs a successful Bradford!”

Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin said: “Our new, ground-breaking partnership with Homes England – only the third of its kind in England – will help us smash our housing targets across West Yorkshire.

“This couldn’t have come at a better time for Bradford. With City of Culture 2025 on the horizon, Bradford could be the shining beacon of ‘levelling up’, with a young diverse population and economic growth potential rivalling that of anywhere else in Britain.

“Working closely with Bradford Council and our private sector partners, we have ambitious plans to deliver safe, affordable and sustainable homes for all Bradfordians. Signing this historic agreement with Homes England today will help us considerably on that journey.”

West Yorkshire spatial priority areas  identify those areas where strategic public sector intervention has the potential to have a transformational impact.

In Bradford district these include:

• Bradford City Centre – where the major Bradford City Village, Forster Square Regeneration Area, Western and Southern Gateway transformation projects are set to modernise the heart of the city, with the potential to bring forward over 4,000 new homes.
• New Bolton Woods Regeneration Area – set to support 1,200 new homes within the area, some of which will be affordable, creating a new sustainable neighbourhood to the north of Bradford centre.
• Holme Wood Urban Extension – which will play a part in the emerging Local Plan and offer the opportunity to create up to 2,000 homes through a multi-agency collaborative approach

The West Yorkshire Strategic Place Partnership MOU was signed on Wednesday, underlining plans for WYCA, the five West Yorkshire Local Authorities and Government to work together to transform the region’s housing offer and commit to the development of well-connected places with good quality homes where people choose to live and work. Peter Denton, Chief Executive Officer at Homes England, launched the Strategic Place Partnership with Mayor Tracey Brabin. The Strategic Place Partnership is a model developed by Homes England to enable greater collaboration and partnership working at a sub-regional scale, recognising those places with ambitious proposals for place-based growth and regeneration.