Landmark city office project a step closer

A PLANNING application for a multi-million pound office development in Bradford is expected to be submitted this summer.

The Government has agreed a £7.5m funding grant towards the £35m One City Park scheme, which will cover 56,403 sq ft.

The national urban regeneration firm, Muse Developments, exchanged a development agreement with Bradford Council to bring forward the landmark scheme.

The council said a community consultation exercise is now due to begin.

The local authority has also secured £7.5m of funding from the Government’s Getting Building Fund through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, to accelerate the delivery of One City Park, which is a key element of a wider regeneration plan for the city.

Coun Susan Hinchcliffe, the council’s leader and the chairwoman of the combined authority, said: “The development agreement is another positive step on the way to Muse Developments delivering a striking, state-of-theart and energy efficient mixed use building at the heart of Bradford city centre.”

The scheme is expected to create 300 construction jobs and another 452 jobs when complete.

The project is one of the main regeneration projects for Bradford city centre, but has its critics.

Opposition councillors have questioned the thinking behind investing so much in an office development at a time many businesses are introducing working from home policies.

Simon Dew, the development director at Muse Developments, said: “To exchange the development agreement and to hear confirmation that the council has successfully secured this funding boost from the Government’s Getting Building Fund, highlights our collective confidence and long-term vision for City Park.”

Muse Developments is due to submit a planning application in the summer.