Flats plans for tower ‘ will boost bid for City of Culture’

BRADFORD Civic Society has welcomed plans to invest in a controversial building in the city centre.

The High Point building in Westgate – once home to the Yorkshire Building Society – is currently empty.

But now it has been revealed that the West Yorkshire Combined Authority will provide a £ 2.9m grant to help bring it back to life.

Bradford Civic Society chair Si Cunningham said: “It’s good to see this kind of investment in Bradford and I do think it will help ensure that it’s a quality, sustainable conversion we end up seeing here. The Civic Society has long called for proper discussion about the future of this landmark, and it looks like we’re starting to see that.

“I know High Point isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the building does have its fans and I’ve always personally felt that it adds a bit of gravitas to Bradford’s skyline.

“I hope this investment, along with the attention that the building is getting from architects and designers, means that we will see something quite striking happen to the exterior of High Point, which would be a massive boost to Bradford’s City of Culture bid too.”

Earlier this year plans to convert the office tower into up to 87 apartments were revealed by Circus Developments ( Bradford).

Next week the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is expected to approve support for the £ 9.432m scheme, with funding coming from the Bradford Heritage Properties project.

High Point has long been mooted for residential use. In Bradford Council’s City Centre Area Action Plan – published in 2017 – the building was earmarked for around 80 homes. Work is due to be completed by 2022.