Work starts on building £35m office block in city

WORK has started on one of the biggest regeneration schemes in Bradford city centre.

One City Park is a Grade A office development that has been in the planning stages for years.

Planned for the former Tyrls police station site next to City Park, the development has been promoted by Bradford Council as a key step in the regeneration of the city centre.

But the plans, which the most recent estimates put at £35m, have also come under criticism, with many claiming it will be a “white elephant” at a time when many businesses are downsizing their office space.

Being funded through a mix of Government grants and council loans, the scheme will create a five-storey office building where about 450 jobs would be based.

The council has argued that, while the city has plenty of office space, much of this is in older, converted buildings rather than the purpose-built space One City Park would provide.

Coun Alex Ross Shaw, portfolio holder for planning, regeneration and environment, said: “Other cities that might be more advanced than ours when it comes to high-quality office space might be more exposed by businesses downsizing.

“There will be businesses that have an office estate of hundreds of thousands of square foot that may no longer want to have all this space but may still need flexible space.

“It isn’t about a business just lifting and shifting its staff. Businesses might be thinking about reducing their floor space, but have space with a higher-quality feel and in a great location. It doesn’t get any better than on the doorstep of City Park, the Alhambra and Bradford Live.”

Work is expected to be completed by next summer, with about 300 temporary construction jobs created.