Development Framework for Bradford

The role of the Development Framework is to act as a guide for development within the city of Bradford, as well as encourage and attract new investment into the area. It provides clear principles which promote social, economic and environmental benefits which are informed by the city's local context and are underpinned by the strategic and policy context both nationally and locally. 

The proposed interventions as set out within the Draft Development Framework are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

Vision:

We are one of the UK’s biggest, youngest, most diverse and entrepreneurial cities. 

Our lives are shaped by unique, welcoming and digitally-connected places and neighbourhoods. Sweeping landscapes create opportunities to walk, cycle, relax and play any day in a network of thriving nature. With city centre on our doorstep, our efficient and affordable public transport connects to world-leading sustainable business districts and innovation centres. While heritage buildings and vibrant retrofit spaces host our creative, caring and future-focused enterprises while we lead the UK’s Clean Growth.

Objectives:

• Establish an Economic Engine of the City.  Creating a Central Business District (CBD) by establishing an iconic high-growth core with Grade-A office units to attract key growth sectors and business people to relocate and work in the city. Centred around the City Park and the station hubs, the new CBD, complemented by food markets, restaurants, cafés, and retail units that feature local businesses, will create a vibrant ambience during the day and evening. 
• Harnessing the Innovative Brain of the City. Encouraging an education-led regeneration by becoming a new knowledge and innovation leader focused on Bradford University and the College to increase Bradford’s attractiveness in priority sectors (e.g., health and advanced manufacturing). By partnering with the University, urban regeneration can be planned and delivered sensitively in collaboration with the communities. 
• Expressing the Cultural Heart of the City. Bradford’s central public spaces & routes are the city’s cultural heart. Foregrounding these with expressions of culture and affirming City Park as a pedestrianised, multi-functional, digitally connected space for relaxing, socialising and intermingling between residents, workers, commuters, and tourists will provide a memorable experience. The city has the capacity to create a globally competitive cultural and lifestyle destination and decarbonised visitor economy. 
• Adopting a Life-Centric Approach to Enhancing Routes & Parks. Creating accessible Green & Blue Networks by improving the thriving ecosystem, habitat and biodiversity links along Canal Road and River Beck and across the city. Creating safe walking and cycling routes alongside key housing and growth areas, City Village, Holme Wood development commuters, school runs, and shoppers pass by, while a network of parks socialises physical mobility with active recreation facilities. 
• Plant the Seeds for Clean Growth. Creating opportunities to diversify the employment base and encouraging the city’s entrepreneurial spirit by proving co-working & incubators spaces. Enabling a network of smallerscale, flexible shared workspaces for commercial and social enterprises to foster the exchange of ideas. Networks that allow opportunities for professionals, entrepreneurs, and trainees to cross both physical and social paths can share ideas and collaborate more organically. 
• Repurposing Heritage Assets for Community Focused Spaces. Celebrating local businesses, high-quality food, sustainable production, and social connection by redeveloping ex-industrial areas as shared commercial units in the form of community trade and market spaces. This will lead to better utilisation of space, materials, resources, technologies, operational energy supply, and waste management. 
• Introducing Modern City Centre Living. Developing low-carbon & high-quality housing to Encourage city centre living that is well integrated with vibrant facilities and amenities, linking active, distinct and safe surroundings to foster healthy and convivial communities within high-density neighbourhoods. Providing diverse and varied typologies and tenant mixes allows intergenerational families, families with kids, and couples to live harmoniously. 
• Inclusive Urban Regeneration That Benefits All. Delivering affordable housing and access to opportunities through equitable and sustainable land use and development without displacement, where existing community members remain in and strengthen their neighbourhoods and networks while accommodating new residents through compact, mixed-use developments. 
• Creating Regenerative Businesses & Job Opportunities. Providing opportunities for all residents and businesses and supporting the transition to a green economy through economic and workforce development incentives. Through investment in new skills and training infrastructure and network to create green jobs and businesses. 
• Transitioning Mobility for the City. Develop a convenient, safe, clean, and affordable regional and local transportation system that enhances mobility and reduces car dependency. By increasing the appeal of public and active mobility, the city can support people’s healthier and more sustainable lifestyle choices while supporting station quarter economic regeneration from increased footfall at the Interchange, Forster Square, and the new station.

Twelve Growth Areas have been identified by a rigorous and robust analysis of Bradford’s data and urban form. The Growth Areas recognise the existing qualities and characteristics within each area as well as the character and type of uses that could be provided as part of a future vision for the city.

1. Knowledge Quarter
2. Forster Square
3. Southern Gateway
4. Holme Wood
5. Bowling Back Lane
6. Odsal
7. Thornton Ingleby
8. Manningham
9. Great Horton
10. Esholt
11. Eccleshill
12. Allerton

The Knowledge Quarter will be a distinctive place where education, innovation and culture will seamlessly integrate into a symbiotic ecosystem and thrive in an attractive environment.

A place where students will enjoy lifelong learning opportunities and get them ready for new educational avenues. New businesses will create job opportunities for a highly skilled labour force. 

Knowledge Quarter will be a force that will drive the economic regeneration of the district. 

Celebrating the cultural heritage of Bradford in its unique architectural setting, this quarter will be a place to live, work and enjoy. With the city centre at its doorstep, its improved food, entertainment, and cultural offer will excite and engage people from all backgrounds, young and all, all year round. 

 Vision 

• Introduction of new learning-related development opportunities
• Creating spatial opportunities for complementary use clusters such as research start-ups  
• Supported by public realm interventions and better lighting to improve the experience and safety of the quarter 
• Changing perceptions about the place through improved identity, placemaking and development 
• Transport interventions will transform the place into a pedestrian and cycle-friendly environment, with better linkages
• Support businesses in the city centre

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

Forster Square will be a key transport and economic hub in the heart of Bradford. It will be the counterpart to the Southern Gateway, creating a north-south axis running through the centre of Bradford, each acting as an anchor for diverse activities and transport access.

These anchors on the key axis through Bradford will catalyse activity and development throughout the city centre.

A vibrant and diverse area of high-density land uses will be developed incorporating retail, leisure, office and residential. Maximising the value of existing heritage assets in the area and developing new high-quality residential and commercial buildings alongside high-quality public realm and green spaces.

This will create a thriving, truly urban area where people choose to work, live and spend time. 

 Vision 

• High-density mixed-use developments around a transport node
• Creating a cluster of high-quality office and residential adjacent to the station
• High quality public realm throughout and linking to The Broadway, Little Germany and the city centre
• Maximising value of heritage assets through retrofit and adaptation
• Incorporate opportunities for walking and cycling along the key routes and green linkages throughout the area
• Strengthen the city centre and create a northern counterpart to Southern Gateway to cement the key north-south axis through the city centre.

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

By 2050, the Southern Gateway will exemplify sustainable regeneration, delivering a thriving economy at the heart of a district-wide innovation ecosystem. 

It will be a diverse integration of business and commerce, jobs for a highly skilled labour force, a place for the rapid growth of knowledge-intensive industries and their supply chains, and education and research facilities. 

This will be a beautiful place to live. The built environment for 2,500 new homes will be structured around retaining existing valued heritage assets within a sustainable bio-diverse urban landscape. 

Placemaking will drive the quality standards expected for the built environment to be the powerhouse for growth, and infrastructure-first will create a low-carbon environment where health and well-being are paramount. 

 Vision 

• Creation of a new economic geography, a business district
• Future proof transport orientated city district
• A new transport hub integrating new railway station, buses, mass-transit and other modes
• High-density large-scale regeneration providing offices, education, health hub, technology hub, retail, leisure and residential
• Creating a new gateway to the city and a new identity for Bradford
• Public realm links to the city centre and transform the place experience
• The primary driver and catalyst for future growth across Bradford.

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

In Holme Wood, community, opportunity, and safety come first. 

Bringing existing and new communities together by significantly enhancing the current centre and key routes in Holme Wood and through the community-led reinvigoration of disused spaces will create a new Holme Wood that successfully integrates new urban extensions. 

Delivering an urban environment that maximises permeability and connectivity to key services and Bradford more widely and ensuring opportunities for all to prosper. 

Creating an expanded urban environment people feel safe in, that is inclusive and where well-designed spaces foster positive interaction and encourage the coming together of all members of the community, both new and old. 

 Vision 

• Delivering new homes and services in location close to key road connections
• Integrating with existing Holme Wood estate through infill developments alongside urban extensions 
• Carried out in tandem with interventions across Holme Wood to maximise the benefit to all
• Creating a new identity for Holme Wood
• Community-driven transformation
• Creating a highly permeable, walkable and cyclable neighbourhood close to key future public transport access points

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

Bowling Back Lane will be an employment hub for Bradford. It is an important and highly strategically located area that will be reimagined as an area providing space for higher-value employment and strategic connectivity to Leeds.

Its location adjacent to Southern Gateway makes it a crucial area for growth and regeneration as part of Bradford’s overall development and is a key enabler for Southern Gateway. 

Low-value dirty industries will be replaced by high-value innovation driven by light industrial, office and research facilities that capitalise on and enhance Bradford’s existing strengths.

Bowling Back Lane will become a positive entry to Bradford that is exciting, modern and innovative.

 Vision 

• An innovation-driven high-value business area contributing to the green economy
• Replacement of current low-value dirty industries with higher-value clean light industrial, manufacturing and employment space
• Creating a cluster of employment spaces that work synergistically with the Southern Gateway
• Improvements to the public realm alongside enhanced connectivity to the Southern Gateway
• Transforming the image of East Bradford
• Integration of future mass-transit with the development
• Strategically important to the district, which will support economic growth across the district. 

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise

Odsal is a key priority area, it will be an exciting area of heritage, sports and renewable energy generation. Odsal is strategically located on the A6036, providing excellent road connectivity for the area, which can be capitalised on by providing modern sports and recreation facilities.

A new and upgraded stadium will offer Bradford a new home for its rugby team and other events. 

An appropriate use for the Richard Dunn Leisure Centre site will be sought as the council considers the options following its listing by Historic England.

Challenging southern parts of the site will be used for solar power generation and outdoor sports activities, including BMX tracks and mountain biking courses.

 Vision 

• Integrated sports, leisure, and energy development
• Maximise the value of green landscape by integrating green corridors, solar farm and maintaining views across site
• New stadium for multipurpose use in partnership with the Bulls.
• Development of BMX and cross-country cycle park on land subject to remediation
• Incorporation of retail and office space along Rooley Avenue

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

Thornton Ingleby will be an area of economic dynamism built around high-quality housing, new employment spaces and retrofits that maximise the significant heritage value of the mills in the area.

Mixed-use developments and redevelopment will maximise the dynamism and productivity of the area by bringing together existing businesses and new startups who can use co-working and innovation hubs within the area alongside upgraded public realm and active travel infrastructure.

Thornton Ingleby’s strategic location to the west of the city centre will enable it to act as a western gateway. It will synergistically complement the other growth areas to create a future-proof Bradford that fosters innovation and economic development across the district.

Vision 

• Retrofit and revitalise Whetley Mills with a mix of flexible office spaces, light industrial and residential
• Improve the look and feel of Thornton Road for all users and create a gateway to Bradford.
• Upgrade public realm across all key routes in the interior of the area connecting key developments and facilities
• Create green corridors on routes connecting green spaces within and beyond the area
• Act as an incubator for businesses to transition to the city centre. 

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

Manningham will become a reinvigorated neighbourhood as part of Bradford’s key north-south axis, integrating high-quality housing developments, improved employment spaces, and comprehensive upgrades to the public realm along all key corridors.

Manningham's significant architectural residential heritage will be foregrounded and celebrated, and value maximised through interventions to improve the public realm, also benefitting existing local businesses. Creating new and upgraded employment spaces will complement Bradford’s overall growth plans, providing higher-value employment spaces. 

Manningham will become a place people want to visit and appreciate its architectural heritage and local culture. 

 Vision 

• Residential-led regeneration
• Large mixed-use development on Lumb Lane
• Upgraded public realm on key routes focussed on walking infrastructure to improve the experience of shopping and spending time in Manningham
• Foregrounding the architectural heritage by focusing on key public realm and active travel interventions around the most significant assets
• Reinvigorating and repurposing disused and underused employment land 
• Create high-quality continuity of the urban environment connecting to the Forster Square growth area 

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

Great Horton’s unique village atmosphere will be enhanced through residential development, improved community facilities and public realm upgrades along key routes and around the central area.

Great Horton will become a more coherent place by enhancing its spatial identity, making it a great place to live or visit. 

Its location on the A647 strategically links it to the Knowledge Quarter, providing synergies with Bradford’s wider growth ambitions.

 Vision 

• Development focussed on enhancing the village atmosphere of the area
• Smaller scale housing development on identified sites
• Public realm improvements on key routes in the centre to improve local economic activity and attractiveness of the local centre
• Gateways to the area will be well-defined
• Strengthen the village feel with planting and appropriate streetscape design
• Improvements to walking and cycling infrastructure in key locations
• Green corridors incorporating active travel connecting local green spaces

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

Esholt will be a hub of highly-quality high-value employment, including residential development located on the key corridor between Bradford and Bradford Leeds Airport.

It will be a unique brownfield development in Bradford, which will increase the prominence of Bradford within the region and attract economic activity and skilled workers, which will boost the district’s economy overall.

 Vision 

• Large scale redevelopment incorporating employment and residential
• Strategically located on route to Bradford Leeds Airport
• Best practice design and sustainability standards in development to attract high-value added employment

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

Eccleshill will be a desirable residential area which has a coherent village atmosphere and is strategically located between the centre of Bradford and Bradford Leeds Airport.

Residential development will combine with community facilities and services to create a walkable, compact neighbourhood with a community-centred design.

 Vision 

• High-quality infill housing developments
• Incorporation on community facilities and services
• Development of green corridors connecting green spaces and key centres of the area
• Improvements to walking and cycling infrastructure on strategic routes
• Enhance the village-like atmosphere and accessibility to key services via active travel modes

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

Allerton Road’s historic mill will become a hub for local businesses and leisure activities and provide additional residential units through upgrades and retrofit to existing buildings alongside sensitive development adjacent to it.  

This, alongside improving the public realm, will create an identifiable local centre that other developments in the area can focus on in the future.

 Vision 

• Retrofit and redevelopment of industrial and heritage mill buildings to achieve full usage with a combination of commercial, retail and residential
• Infill housing on smaller site
• Walking focussed public realm improvements to Allerton Road
• Green corridors connecting local green spaces
• Integration of gateway areas through public realm interventions where activity will be concentrated

The proposed interventions as set out are indicative only. There is no funding commitment at this stage to deliver the vision. If the proposals are supported by stakeholders, a more detailed delivery plan would be considered as funding opportunities arise.

For those large organisations and statutory consultees that may wish to write to us with feedback, please email growth@bradford.gov.uk