Efforts to boost city centre regeneration, including promoting city's empty West End units, to be discussed by Councillors

An annual report on efforts to regenerate Bradford City Centre, and the difficulties facing traditional high streets, will go before Bradford Council’s Regeneration and Environment Overview & Scrutiny Committee next Tuesday.

The report reveals that vacancy rates increased slightly this summer, leaving almost a fifth of city centre units empty, but looks forward to upcoming projects to boost footfall.

Between June and September, vacancy rates in the city rose from 19.3 per cent to 19.9 per cent - meaning 183 of the city centre’s 917 shops were vacant at the end of last month. The report says some businesses are “reducing operating hours to meet footfall peaks and troughs.”

But the report says Bradford Council’s City Centre Growth Scheme, which provides grants and rate rebates to new businesses, has helped attract three new businesses that will open within weeks of each other. Noodle Sing, a Chinese restaurant on North Parade, opened last week. Remy International, a wine bar on Broadway, is due to open next month, and Airobounce, a business that will transform the former Mecca Bingo hall on Little Horton Lane into a centre offering activities like laser tag, trampolining and soft play, is due to open mid November.

And members of the committee will be told that the Scheme has encouraged 232 businesses to open or expand in recent years. It adds: “The current pipeline includes applications for an indoor activity centre, cafes, bars, a restaurant, a boutique hotel and a skin care clinic.”

The report says there is a number of ongoing issues with anti social behaviour in the centre, including nuisance driving, street drinking and begging. But it adds: “Bradford has so far escaped the worst of the issues surrounding the use of the synthetic cannabis ‘Spice’ that has blighted many town and city centres.”

This year’s Christmas activities in the district will be pulled together as part of a campaign called “Sparkling Bradford,” and included Council run events as well as the city’s shopping centres, hotels and attractions.

Councillors will be told that work is being done to boost the number of bars and restaurants around the Alhambra and Odeon, due to re-open as Bradford Live in 2020, by better promoting empty properties in the area.

Members will also be given an update on the Bradford Business Improvement District, which was approved last week. Local businesses will pay a levy that will be used to improve the city centre, and is expected to generate around £500,000 a year.