Yesterday I read two thoughtful pieces of writing about Bradford's regeneration - one entitled "Common Sense Regeneration" from the Bradford Civic Society, the other the City Life column in The Spectator.
"Common Sense Regeneration" sets out its stall as a regeneration manifesto for the City - an exercise in critical friendship. And in doing this Bradford Civic Society fails comprehensively to deliver - the 'manifesto' reads as an unstructured miss-mash of 'glass-half-empty' kicking at the Council, the ideas of local lobby groups - an inner city ring road and a grossly expensive investment in heavy rail - and the unquestioning promotion of sub-Victorian pastiche over good modern architecture.
But this is just my opinion - what I find completely underwhelming about the Civic Society's proposals is that they completely ignore economic realities. Not one moment of consideration is given to how the grand schemes might be built - who is going to finance a 3,500 seat concert hall, where they'll get the £200 million needs to link the two stations and how the £100 million or so to buy back the Westfield site will be raised. There is nothing new in the proposals, no originality, nothing that wasn't already in the public domain for discussion and consideration.
Very disappointing. In contrast outsider Robert Beaumont's City Life piece in The Spectator cuts right to the heart of the issue - the failure of Bradford Centre Regeneration & Yorkshire Forward to deliver on the vision for a new city centre, the slow transformation of some areas through considered private investment and the opportunities presented by Bradford's success stories - the National Media Museum, Saltaire, Lister Mills, Manningham Park and becoming the first UNESCO City of Film.
And the diagnosis - sitting waiting for the sugar daddy to fund transformation means it won't happen. We have to get on with the job!
So what could we do? Here are five, deliverable, transformational, proposals:
1. Commission a top architect to design a new Bradford Civic Centre - a new home for Bradford Council's dispersed departments (currently spread inefficiently across five or more locations) and built on the site of the current - and very ugly - Jacob's Well office block. This is deliverable because Bradford Council provide a strong covenant allowing a private partner to secure the finance to build a new, iconic building in the City Centre.
2. Construct the first section of a new Bradford Canal from Dockfield at Shipley to Lavers wood yard. Nearly all the land concerned is in public ownership and available now. Disposing of development rights along the line of the canal provides the covenant needed to raise finance. Public funding - around £2 million - is needed to complete the new bridge under the Airedale railway line but that should be achievable.
3. Building a new extension to the Oastler Centre using the soon-to-close Morrisons supermarket and spreading onto a newly pedestrianised John Street. Removing the ugly corner building opposite might not be affordable but, were it possible, a new open square could be constructed - similar in impact to the new Market Square recently completed in Bingley.
4. Changing the way we use City Hall - making it more of a building for the public than an impenetrable "public building". Meeting space, restaurants and a small auditorium would enhance the already successful Centenary Square and Norfolk Gardens open spaces. This transformation - linked to a new Civic Centre - would be funded either through that development or from the Council's capital budget.
5. Committing to a five year programme of events, occasions and celebrations in the centre. This animates new places, makes use of temporary spaces produced by developments and provides reasons for Bradford's citizens to come into the City Centre. The City should look to a revenue investment of at least £3 million a year (from its £1 billion plus gross budget) in delivering this programme of events and activities.
I don't think these proposals will solve all the City's problems - the sensitive matter of the Odeon and the stalled Westfield development remain. But in delivering these the City would show it meant business - and would instill some confidence in the private investors needed to deliver on these big schemes.
2 comments:
No nuclear option? :o)
Perhaps I have been reading too much Samuel Smiles but I don't see physical regeneration providing a kickstart to Bradford's Regeneration. These all sound like good ideas and perhaps they are feasible - but the reality is that the regeneration required in Bradford is at least as much psychological as it is physical.
It is about getting more people actively engaged in shaping and creating their own futures rather than relying on the council and developers to make it all 'nice' again.
The well-being and regeneration of the community depends on:
1 the number of its members who are actively working on their personal agendas for progress and improvement,
2 the extent to which individuals support each other through local association and collaboration in their endeavours
3 the extent to which the council and other service and support providers can facilitate and support those willing to have a go at creating a better future for themselves. (Your options 4 and 5 could directly play to this agenda)
This might be a difficult message to sell politically - but it is more likely to succeed than searching for the 'magic regeneration bullet' from developers and planners.
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