Most liked posts in thread: Bradford

I can't see why others can't see it, maybe they don't want to see it. As times were beginning to change in the late eighties and nineties Bradford and Leeds were of a not too dissimilar economic power. Both had hard times with the decline of industry. But i remember my construction college tutor telling us back then that Leeds would eventually swallow up Bradford and that Leeds had 5x the amount of prime building land than Bradford had. There is no logical reason why any business would relocate here, the transport links are an embarrassment, everything is gridlocked. Our public service facilities are falling to bits, the roads are a disgrace and yet we have a council hell bent on building thousands of houses in an infrastructure already at breaking point. Utterly pointless.

 

The people you describe move to Saltaire and hop on the train to work.

Bradford is fading away. The council have some brilliant attributes that they've built to make Bradford unique but there simply isn't enough people in town. BT are selling their London offices to reduce costs. They should be inviting them and companies like them with cheap rates for offices.

 

Those first two and City Hall + the pool can provide a backdrop to match most provincial cities, they should make and images (day and night) and trade Bradford on them.

But.........even once open the Odeon is not going to provide the many 10's of 1000's of jobs needed to provide the daily footfall Bradford needs to function like a Bradford sized city should Mon-Fri.

 

Just at the new light cinema . Impressed . Hopefully a few food places open up under it soon

 

But Leeds can do it? It's just bollocks and so backward thinking.......my youngest lad and his pals (all Bradfordians) got the train to Leeds today to watch the game in the fan zone and people wonder why Bradford's footfall is so low?

 

Of course it's all the council's fault. Because mega companies are just queuing up to pile money into Bradford and the council keeps knocking them back.
Seriously, which planet are you on?

 

I understand it'll be a wedding venue primarily for a certain section of Bradford's population. As such the parking issue won't change much as they tend to use the nearest available pavement anyway!

 

But it's not central/government/public money that will re-generate Bradford, that'll only come through private money that can create an environment where people want to work and live, like what happened on small scale at Saltaire, a perfect example of an artistic/cultural environment with an eclectic population, result? Thriving private enterprises, things to see and do, high housing demand, all protecting and enhancing it's value. I could live in Hull centre easy, not in Bradford thanks.

Your second point is interesting, it's a totally bi-cultural city where the 2 communities don't appear to have any common interests that leads them to socialise in meaningful numbers. I really wish it was different but it's not so I'd have preferred a biggest/best asian something instead of the crap mall, bringing in people from along the M62 corridor and the midlands. Because, Bradford has been under one or another named "regeneration scheme" since I was a teenager and the result? It's far worse now and tbh I think it's never going to be what we dream of, ever, so an an asian city, a busy one, with the superb architecture actually occupied, that'd do for me, things/times change.

 

I was just thinking of possibilities, the centre floor space is what, 80%+ empty? It's a very big dismal area, if you could move City Hall, the Alhambra, the Wool Exchange, a couple of banks and the Odeon up against Little Germany and demolished the rest, would we miss much?

I don't believe the centre will be a harmonious bi-cultural melting pot ever, that horse bolted in the late 70's. I believe the monied won't set foot in the place, not with Leeds next door and the footfall is at a desperate level compared with the 1980's. The centre is like a dog chasing it's tail. Without jobs in there, paying professional salaries to people who want to work there, everything else is inconsequential because the outer suburb folks, the ones with more cash will continue to go to Leeds for shopping, eating and leisure. I am Bradfordian, I so wish things were different, but it is what it is.

Great recent article, but not pretty reading for those who can't see what is plainly in front of them.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/may/03/could-bradford-be-the-shoreditch-of-yorkshire-or-is-it-the-next-detroit-

 

Certainly isn't the City i remember. feel sorry for my lad as he won't get to experience what i did over 20 years but as you say generations change. Bradford has no soul anymore, maybe thats me getting old but if i had the money i'd be out of the place like a shot.

 

Interestingly, it is the same in Manchester.

There has been a big screen in Manchester every World Cup that I can remember. They have been great. It is such a cosmopolitan city, a Spanish game can draw several thousand Spaniards alone. The 2010 final, viewed by about 10,000 at Castlefield, was a brilliant night...plenty of beer being consumed as well.

This time, nothing. Policing issues have been cited, but a big problem is the growth of city centre living and issues with residents complaining about noise. Completely different situation to Bradford, but Bradford isn’t alone in missing a trick here.

I know England games can be problematic, but as others have said, it is a great way to get footfall into the city, which it really really needs.

 

Yes, that was scary reading, councils gambling huge sums of tax payers money on failing malls! Malls closing has happened all over the US & here will be no different unless your city is the regional hub with the drink/food/leisure add ons to keep visitors all day, the weekend party people starting off before noon in Leeds on "bottomless brunches" and the 1000's arrving at the station later, dressed up to the nines, are not going shopping.....

The future retail & current Debenhams & HMV problems are not Bradford specific but show just how vulnerable Bradford is. Leeds can lose both tomorrow and it'd have just about zero impact, but Bradford would lose 1 of it's two mall (city centre) anchor tenants and leave a huge % of mall space empty.

@jpaul81 said "We need to forget 'competing' with Leeds and devise our own strategy". I totally agree but we'd probably disagree about how it should be done as I think he was pro-mall which will prove to be a negative thing as it was decades too late, too small, in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Any strategy needs to be non-chain retail or we are flogging a dead horse.

 

The potential with the Odeon is huge. That whole central bit of Bradford could be very attractive with the pool lit up and the Alhambra.

I wish central government would realise how much Bradford is struggling and do something to encourage LOTS more businesses to relocate here.

If something dramatic doesn't happen our home city is just going to turn into an Asian city that white people visit to go to the football and the theater, and for everything else we head into Leeds. Far better if we can create a dynamic modern multiethnic city where we all work AND play together.

 

Integration will never happen, we tolerate. Once that toleration ends thats when we get trouble. There are too many things that culturally and religiously divide us. I was in Bradford city centre last night, had a drink in Sunbridge Wells. Nice place, well done out, but dead as a dodo. Until the Odeon gets done it has no footfall, certainly not from within the city centre. Abbomf gets it, you need footfall through the day and night eating and drinking to keep these businesses afloat.

 

It does now seem that way. Our home city seems to be quickly disappearing.

It saddened me to hear that the old Mecca ballroom (aka Dollars and Dimes, etc) is to become an Asian wedding venue. That's probably the final bit of my youth obliterated from memory. Maybe it's progress. Who knows. Nothing is permanent.

 

What happened to black culture also? It just went, did it go to Leeds too? Edwardian Club, Palm Cove, Mayflower, Perseverence, Young Lions cafe, club above Jeans Junction, all gone. Black people in Bradford didn't die out all at once, what happened?

 

I used to love Bradford. After my teens I spent a long time away but always loved it as the train descended towards Bradford station for my occasional weekend at home. The old haunts never seemed to have changed much. The people that I knew were probably doing much the same as the last time I'd visited. It was like being parachuted in. The pubs all had football teams that kicked hell out of each other and then invited each other back for a dodgy chilli or dripping on bread! Getting two pints at 5 to 3 before going home for Sunday lunch then a quick snooze before everybody was back in the pub at half 7 for a game of darts. Most of the pubs and the communities don't exist anymore. I know I'm a sad old git. But like most on here I will be leaving Bradford with a heavy heart in the very near future. It's not my City anymore, not our City anymore. On a brighter note I won £72 on the horses today.

 

I worked in Leeds centre as the regeneration started to gather pace, it's hard to believe now that Greenswoods Menswear had a big unit in the Victorian Quarter! Bradford is still doing "cheap", it just doesn't learn.

My only hope is Leeds......that maybe young professional people on low Leeds salaries, sub £25k, start to look at cheaper places to live, Leeds centre is very expensive to rent in, if you can find anywhere, Headingly is expensive. Little Germany provides a great place, it's beautiful, atmospheric, I'd love to see people move (in numbers) there, bars and delis would spring up. Doubt it will happen because Bradford would have to pitch for Leeds professionals and it'd rather just be Bradford, backward looking.

 

They have nothing but time.