Capital bid to attract shops to share in £1 billion city future (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Capital bid to attract shops to share in £1 billion city future
7:00am Tuesday 20th November 2012 in News
By Dolores Cowburn, Bradford Chief Reporter
Coun Dave Green ahead of the trip to London to promote the advantages of relocating to Bradford
A delegation of business and civic leaders will be in London this week armed with the message: “There’s never been a better time to invest in Bradford.”
Influential business leaders, including Dalton Phillips, the chief executive of Morrisons supermarkets, and Peter Miller, Westfield’s chief operating officer, will tell bosses of other national companies how they can benefit from Bradford’s City Centre Growth Zone which is planned to create 2,800 jobs within the next five years.
They will be joined at the presentation on Thursday by Bradford Council chief executive Tony Reeves and Council leader David Green with the aim of wooing major investors to the city.
The City Centre Growth Zone is being funded through a combination of £17.6 million from the Government's Regional Growth Fund and £17.2m from Bradford Council.
The zone will stimulate investment and private sector growth in the city centre through a range of incentives for new or existing businesses, including rate rebates for eligible businesses which create new jobs and access to superfast broadband.
Resources are also being ploughed into creating a skills programme to enable local people to benefit from new job opportunities.
Coun Green said: “By going to London we are getting our message out far and wide to people to come and invest in Bradford.
“We want to attract new businesses into Bradford and to support the expansion of existing ones with a view to taking up empty retail spaces and office space to develop a really unique city centre in terms of independent shops.
“We want people to take the offer of having more than retail space and taking upper floors for workshops and production, like having people working over the shop like they did 150 years ago.”
Mr Miller said that with the growing momentum behind his company’s Broadway development there had never been a better time for retailers to invest or open in Bradford.
He said it was an untapped chance for retailers with the potential to attract up to £1 billion of spending by shoppers in the city once the Broadway shopping centre had been built.
He said: “There are more than 6.2 million people within one hour’s drive of Bradford and it is the fourth largest metropolitian district in England.
“Public investment in the last two years has totalled more than £30m and this has been complimented by private sector investment of more than £65m. It is anticipated this will be enhanced by a further £260m investment through the Broadway scheme expected to start next year.”
News of the presentation comes as the British Retail Consortium yesterday reported that more than one in ten shops are empty across the country, with Yorkshire having about 15 per cent of retail premises lying empty.
In Bradford the empty shops rate is 17.15 per cent, but that has improved from a figure of 18.64 per cent last year.
Stephen Wright, president of Bradford Chamber of Commerce, said empty shop syndrome was something that was affecting the whole country, not just Bradford.
“The city needs a thriving heart, and that means a combination of shoppers and other visitors so that there is a hustle-and-bustle of activity,” he said.
“City Park is helping to attract visitors but we also need to see as many of the empty units as possible filled again. We support the promotion of the City Centre Growth Zone in London but I know that existing city centre shops fear they could be over-shadowed by the aims and methods of the Growth Zone.”
Bradford Chamber of Trade secretary, Val Summerscales, said: “The growth fund is intended to support those relocating to the city centre and that is positive, but internet shopping and out-of-town centres have all had an adverse effect on town centres.”
Coun Green said the Council was well aware of the importance of working with the private sector to stimulate sustainable city centre growth.
“In Bradford we have recognised that the only way of addressing our local challenges is to work with the private sector to develop strategies to bring properties back into use,” he said.
“This is the basis behind the growth zone proposals but also one of the major reasons why the Council is bringing more of its staff into the city centre to increase footfall.
“I am aware that people want urgent action but we need to ensure that any growth is sustainable so that we are not continually firefighting to deal with short term solutions that fail to last.
“Investors need to know that the Council is committed to a long-term strategy that can support business growth and innovation and we are beginning to win that trust after years of neglect.”
Comments(52)
SinnerSaint
says...
7:55am Tue 20 Nov 12
Thee Voice of Reason
says...
8:14am Tue 20 Nov 12
Watch them leave in droves when their lease is up. Bradford council thinking short term again.
angry bradfordian
says...
8:17am Tue 20 Nov 12
SinnerSaint wrote:Yes, it's probably not the best advertising line when it also means the 6.2 million are also within an hour of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Nottingham or Sheffield.
6.2 million people within an hour's drive of Bradford, most of whom wouldn't shop here if you paid them.
I see Green's promotion poster goes on about a £35m 'welcome package'
Last week's story said that £10m of this was move the cells and improve access to Westfield. I don't understand how that's a 'welcome package'
DM
says...
8:30am Tue 20 Nov 12
Z.Raja
says...
8:33am Tue 20 Nov 12
webess
says...
8:34am Tue 20 Nov 12
Thee Voice of Reason
says...
8:35am Tue 20 Nov 12
DM wrote:So those loyal to Bradford who are excluded from this growth zone have similar shops open up not far from them who are benefiting from the growth zone and therefore have lower overheads than the existing shops and therefore can undercut them.
Bringing added investment into the city, and therefore extra jobs and footfall, will surely help existing businesses. Taking a persistently negative line, like the other contributors here, isnt going to help anyone. What I am interested in is positive initiatives, such as the working/living above the shop idea which helps create extra work space and brings people into the centre and initiastives by shops - eg the recent Thursday late opening before Christmas by Saltaire shops which should be applauded. Good luck to David Green and the team. Some of us are backing you to the hilt and hope that the feedback is good.
How does that help them?
Avro
says...
8:37am Tue 20 Nov 12
David Green failed to reveal exactly where the 2,800 jobs are, when in actual fact 2,500 will be Westfield jobs, on the basis that Westfield is up and runnning by the end of 2015 for it to qualify for £17.6m Regional Growth Fund money, which has been allocated to Westfield tenants as a rate relief scheme!
The wheels will most certainly fall off the city centre waggon should this deadline be missed.
In effect, it seems that the Council growth zone contribution of £17.2m will create just 300 jobs?
Someone is having a laugh, and this trip is nothing more than a "help us get Westfield built" trip, because the future of Bradford city centre is dependent on it!
Sally Way
says...
8:47am Tue 20 Nov 12
Don't let the regular moaning brigade bring you down.
I genuinely agree Bradford is brilliant place to invest.
dazp
says...
9:03am Tue 20 Nov 12
Sally Way wrote:well said Sally Westfield
Good luck guys.
Don't let the regular moaning brigade bring you down.
I genuinely agree Bradford is brilliant place to invest.
Andy2010
says...
9:12am Tue 20 Nov 12
Good luck with that.
I was talking to a member of the Positive Bradford team at the weekend who stated the whole team had given up on attracting new businesses to the area due to lack of interest. The main reason here was due to the local workforce not being suitable in general for roles at blue chip companies especially with the proximity to Leeds and what their workforce had to offer.
Its just gone too far for Bradford now and i dont think no-one has the answers
angry bradfordian
says...
9:15am Tue 20 Nov 12
Joedavid
says...
9:16am Tue 20 Nov 12
sam-tyler
says...
9:18am Tue 20 Nov 12
Sally Way wrote:So it was you who nicked Reno's pink glasses, was it? :)
Good luck guys.
Don't let the regular moaning brigade bring you down.
I genuinely agree Bradford is brilliant place to invest.
Joedavid
says...
9:18am Tue 20 Nov 12
windymiller
says...
9:44am Tue 20 Nov 12
Avro
says...
9:59am Tue 20 Nov 12
sam-tyler wrote:She needs a reality check!
Sally Way wrote:So it was you who nicked Reno's pink glasses, was it? :)
Good luck guys.
Don't let the regular moaning brigade bring you down.
I genuinely agree Bradford is brilliant place to invest.
angry bradfordian
says...
10:03am Tue 20 Nov 12
windymiller wrote:It's an excellent point about Morrisons. Other than the mini-store in Ilkley when was the last time they 'invested' in the City?
Morrison's investing in Bradford? I thouigh that they were outsourcing many of their jobs from their headquarters to India!! The state of the M62 isn't going to help with getting new investors. Infrastructure, road systems, need to be sorted first otherwise any good work done in London will be bogged down in the traffic.
All the other supermarkets have probably built new stores since the last new Morrisons and the last time they were in the news it was because they were closing down the accounts department. Why would any companies listen to them or Westfield when thinking of investing in the city?
Avro
says...
10:03am Tue 20 Nov 12
windymiller wrote:Morrisons recently reported that they were slowing down the expansion plans!
Morrison's investing in Bradford? I thouigh that they were outsourcing many of their jobs from their headquarters to India!! The state of the M62 isn't going to help with getting new investors. Infrastructure, road systems, need to be sorted first otherwise any good work done in London will be bogged down in the traffic.
Thee Voice of Reason
says...
10:14am Tue 20 Nov 12
angry bradfordian wrote:Haha I noticed that.
The photograph sums up the problems that the City Centre currently has. Bradford's main shopping street has FIVE people in shot, six weeks before Christmas!
yorkshiredude
says...
10:15am Tue 20 Nov 12
mad matt
says...
10:19am Tue 20 Nov 12
The only way to get things moving is to kick-start Westfield into action, and even then I doubt it will help the majority of businesses in the city.
SinnerSaint
says...
11:03am Tue 20 Nov 12
I reckon 4 or 5 years after it opens, when all the rent and rates reductions and other enticements are finished, Westfield will be practically dead.
Avro
says...
11:07am Tue 20 Nov 12
Thee Voice of Reason wrote:Indeed a great advert for any prospective business thinking of locating in the city centre, and whilst David Green seems oblivious to what his photo portrays.
angry bradfordian wrote:Haha I noticed that.
The photograph sums up the problems that the City Centre currently has. Bradford's main shopping street has FIVE people in shot, six weeks before Christmas!
Clowny
says...
11:10am Tue 20 Nov 12
mad matt wrote:Actually to me it looks like a sincere effort to try and kick start some retail investment. I can't ever recall a council leader actively pushing for inward private investment, it is one of the areas where Bradford has failed in the past, other cities have promoted themselves for investment. I’d agree with some comments above that the sales pitch isn’t entirely honest as some of the money is already ringfenced, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Looks to me as if Green and his cohorts are just on another ego trip!
The only way to get things moving is to kick-start Westfield into action, and even then I doubt it will help the majority of businesses in the city.
Clowny
says...
11:14am Tue 20 Nov 12
Avro wrote:Look closer I can count 9 people, do I win a prize?
Thee Voice of Reason wrote:Indeed a great advert for any prospective business thinking of locating in the city centre, and whilst David Green seems oblivious to what his photo portrays.
angry bradfordian wrote:Haha I noticed that.
The photograph sums up the problems that the City Centre currently has. Bradford's main shopping street has FIVE people in shot, six weeks before Christmas!
Albion.
says...
11:16am Tue 20 Nov 12
Thee Voice of Reason wrote:Me too! And the failed attempt to cover up the "you mugs" smirk on Green's face.
angry bradfordian wrote:Haha I noticed that.
The photograph sums up the problems that the City Centre currently has. Bradford's main shopping street has FIVE people in shot, six weeks before Christmas!
Someone mentioned late night opening on a Thursday night, leading up to Christmas, everywhere does that! and they have been doing it for years.
Albion.
says...
11:18am Tue 20 Nov 12
Albion. wrote:Has he got Sooty behind that poster?
Thee Voice of Reason wrote:Me too! And the failed attempt to cover up the "you mugs" smirk on Green's face.
angry bradfordian wrote:Haha I noticed that.
The photograph sums up the problems that the City Centre currently has. Bradford's main shopping street has FIVE people in shot, six weeks before Christmas!
Someone mentioned late night opening on a Thursday night, leading up to Christmas, everywhere does that! and they have been doing it for years.
g1ne
says...
11:46am Tue 20 Nov 12
The Kirkgate Centre is in need of a major external facelift, which in itself would attract new business...it's surrounding pedestrian streets could become covered over, providing an improved shopping experience.
Embracing it's victorian history and architecture could provide another source, re-fronting shopfaces, to create a organised themed "shopping" centre, and shopping quarters,not just random connecting streets, and shops and arranging proper christmas markets (none of those German nonsenses that Leeds always has), or the ones that over-crowd Darley St all year.
It's for council to start imposing things on businesses when planning proposals are made, rather than just accepting whatever is on the table in order to grab to money.
Avro
says...
11:47am Tue 20 Nov 12
Albion. wrote:The city centre Thursday late nighter used to be thiving.....and where you can pin point its steady decline...since Broadway was demolished!
Thee Voice of Reason wrote:Me too! And the failed attempt to cover up the "you mugs" smirk on Green's face.
angry bradfordian wrote:Haha I noticed that.
The photograph sums up the problems that the City Centre currently has. Bradford's main shopping street has FIVE people in shot, six weeks before Christmas!
Someone mentioned late night opening on a Thursday night, leading up to Christmas, everywhere does that! and they have been doing it for years.
DM
says...
11:56am Tue 20 Nov 12
Clowny wrote:Well said Clowny. The city fathers must be turning in their graves if they had to read the negative, cynical stuff written on these feedback pages! It doesent help. There is no instant solution, nor a magic bullet but I would say let's please give due credence to people who are trying to make things better in this city, from councillors to shopkeepers to all the citizens who work hard and believe in the future. There are good initiatives and people working hard to implement them and whilst some may be cynical about schemes such as the Saltaire late night opening it is a lot of risk and hard work by shopkeepers who already work 6-7 days a week on often minimum wages or less. They are trying to create better opportunities and a more lively economy. Give them at that at least.
mad matt wrote:Actually to me it looks like a sincere effort to try and kick start some retail investment. I can't ever recall a council leader actively pushing for inward private investment, it is one of the areas where Bradford has failed in the past, other cities have promoted themselves for investment. I’d agree with some comments above that the sales pitch isn’t entirely honest as some of the money is already ringfenced, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Looks to me as if Green and his cohorts are just on another ego trip!
The only way to get things moving is to kick-start Westfield into action, and even then I doubt it will help the majority of businesses in the city.
Joedavid
says...
12:00pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Avro wrote:Noticed the expansions at Enterprise 5 look as if stopped and Wickes have not closed as part of that.
windymiller wrote:Morrisons recently reported that they were slowing down the expansion plans!
Morrison's investing in Bradford? I thouigh that they were outsourcing many of their jobs from their headquarters to India!! The state of the M62 isn't going to help with getting new investors. Infrastructure, road systems, need to be sorted first otherwise any good work done in London will be bogged down in the traffic.
angry bradfordian
says...
12:12pm Tue 20 Nov 12
DM wrote:To be fair to David Green, he'd be getting more stick if he wasn't trying anything different.
Clowny wrote:Well said Clowny. The city fathers must be turning in their graves if they had to read the negative, cynical stuff written on these feedback pages! It doesent help. There is no instant solution, nor a magic bullet but I would say let's please give due credence to people who are trying to make things better in this city, from councillors to shopkeepers to all the citizens who work hard and believe in the future. There are good initiatives and people working hard to implement them and whilst some may be cynical about schemes such as the Saltaire late night opening it is a lot of risk and hard work by shopkeepers who already work 6-7 days a week on often minimum wages or less. They are trying to create better opportunities and a more lively economy. Give them at that at least.
mad matt wrote:Actually to me it looks like a sincere effort to try and kick start some retail investment. I can't ever recall a council leader actively pushing for inward private investment, it is one of the areas where Bradford has failed in the past, other cities have promoted themselves for investment. I’d agree with some comments above that the sales pitch isn’t entirely honest as some of the money is already ringfenced, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Looks to me as if Green and his cohorts are just on another ego trip!
The only way to get things moving is to kick-start Westfield into action, and even then I doubt it will help the majority of businesses in the city.
I'd love his trip to succeed, but it's the constant management speak and contrasting statements that annoy me.
He talks about wooing major investors and then talks about the future being based on being working above the shop- what sort of major businesses do that?
He talks about 'empty shop syndrome' and must think none of us ever visit Leeds where they're building numerous new shopping centres or Manchester where the streets are packed.
He talks about City Park attracting new visitors despite the fact he's saying the shops are empty.
I'd love his trip to succeed but I'd much prefer if Green & MacRuari didn't issue statements that assume the Bradford public are all stupid or walk around with their eyes shut!
Andy2010
says...
12:15pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Clowny wrote:Yes you do
Avro wrote:Look closer I can count 9 people, do I win a prize?Thee Voice of Reason wrote:Indeed a great advert for any prospective business thinking of locating in the city centre, and whilst David Green seems oblivious to what his photo portrays.angry bradfordian wrote: The photograph sums up the problems that the City Centre currently has. Bradford's main shopping street has FIVE people in shot, six weeks before Christmas!Haha I noticed that.
The prize is £50 to spend in whichever shop bookies you feel like in the town centre
Those 9 were just walking back home after signing on so not technically shoppers
cardman
says...
12:23pm Tue 20 Nov 12
cardman
says...
12:31pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Thee Voice of Reason
says...
12:52pm Tue 20 Nov 12
DM wrote:I think the City fathers are turning in their graves seeing the mess the City is currently in. Forget a few negative comments, they have come about after years and years of mismanagement.
Clowny wrote:Well said Clowny. The city fathers must be turning in their graves if they had to read the negative, cynical stuff written on these feedback pages! It doesent help. There is no instant solution, nor a magic bullet but I would say let's please give due credence to people who are trying to make things better in this city, from councillors to shopkeepers to all the citizens who work hard and believe in the future. There are good initiatives and people working hard to implement them and whilst some may be cynical about schemes such as the Saltaire late night opening it is a lot of risk and hard work by shopkeepers who already work 6-7 days a week on often minimum wages or less. They are trying to create better opportunities and a more lively economy. Give them at that at least.mad matt wrote: Looks to me as if Green and his cohorts are just on another ego trip! The only way to get things moving is to kick-start Westfield into action, and even then I doubt it will help the majority of businesses in the city.Actually to me it looks like a sincere effort to try and kick start some retail investment. I can't ever recall a council leader actively pushing for inward private investment, it is one of the areas where Bradford has failed in the past, other cities have promoted themselves for investment. I’d agree with some comments above that the sales pitch isn’t entirely honest as some of the money is already ringfenced, but it’s a step in the right direction.
You only have to go back to the 1990's and the City was a totally different place.
basil fawlty
says...
1:06pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Thee Voice of Reason wrote:The major need for Bradford is to bring additional shoppers into the City and that wont happen until we have the new Werstfield centre as the main attraction. Otherwise the City will continue to under perform. The existing shops will benefit in the medium and longer term when the city has a revival.
DM wrote: Bringing added investment into the city, and therefore extra jobs and footfall, will surely help existing businesses. Taking a persistently negative line, like the other contributors here, isnt going to help anyone. What I am interested in is positive initiatives, such as the working/living above the shop idea which helps create extra work space and brings people into the centre and initiastives by shops - eg the recent Thursday late opening before Christmas by Saltaire shops which should be applauded. Good luck to David Green and the team. Some of us are backing you to the hilt and hope that the feedback is good.So those loyal to Bradford who are excluded from this growth zone have similar shops open up not far from them who are benefiting from the growth zone and therefore have lower overheads than the existing shops and therefore can undercut them. How does that help them?
basil fawlty
says...
1:14pm Tue 20 Nov 12
g1ne wrote:The main benefit of the Westfield project is that we will have much larger shops that will be able to sell the full range of stock that the existing smaller shops such those in the Kirkgate centre presently cant. The Kirkgate centre will have to refine itself after Westfield and become a place for more specialist shops.
How about forgetting the Westfield project, and concentrating on the buildings we have... The Kirkgate Centre is in need of a major external facelift, which in itself would attract new business...it's surrounding pedestrian streets could become covered over, providing an improved shopping experience. Embracing it's victorian history and architecture could provide another source, re-fronting shopfaces, to create a organised themed "shopping" centre, and shopping quarters,not just random connecting streets, and shops and arranging proper christmas markets (none of those German nonsenses that Leeds always has), or the ones that over-crowd Darley St all year. It's for council to start imposing things on businesses when planning proposals are made, rather than just accepting whatever is on the table in order to grab to money.
Andy2010
says...
1:16pm Tue 20 Nov 12
basil fawlty wrote:Shops have nothing to do with it. Before focusing on shops they need to attract businesses to Bradford not retailors. With business comes jobs and disposable income and I dont mean more takeaways or trash businesses like Cash 4 Gold etc etc I mean financial sector, customer service or outsourcing.
Thee Voice of Reason wrote:The major need for Bradford is to bring additional shoppers into the City and that wont happen until we have the new Werstfield centre as the main attraction. Otherwise the City will continue to under perform. The existing shops will benefit in the medium and longer term when the city has a revival.DM wrote: Bringing added investment into the city, and therefore extra jobs and footfall, will surely help existing businesses. Taking a persistently negative line, like the other contributors here, isnt going to help anyone. What I am interested in is positive initiatives, such as the working/living above the shop idea which helps create extra work space and brings people into the centre and initiastives by shops - eg the recent Thursday late opening before Christmas by Saltaire shops which should be applauded. Good luck to David Green and the team. Some of us are backing you to the hilt and hope that the feedback is good.So those loyal to Bradford who are excluded from this growth zone have similar shops open up not far from them who are benefiting from the growth zone and therefore have lower overheads than the existing shops and therefore can undercut them. How does that help them?
Even the council must understand that if businesses come the shops will follow naturally. With the best will in the world you could open Westfield tomorrow and occupy every retail outlet in the city but it doesnt change the demographic of the area not the disposable income. Westfield understand this so why cant the council
Albion.
says...
1:21pm Tue 20 Nov 12
basil fawlty wrote:I would have thought that most of them will close down
Thee Voice of Reason wrote:The major need for Bradford is to bring additional shoppers into the City and that wont happen until we have the new Werstfield centre as the main attraction. Otherwise the City will continue to under perform. The existing shops will benefit in the medium and longer term when the city has a revival.
DM wrote: Bringing added investment into the city, and therefore extra jobs and footfall, will surely help existing businesses. Taking a persistently negative line, like the other contributors here, isnt going to help anyone. What I am interested in is positive initiatives, such as the working/living above the shop idea which helps create extra work space and brings people into the centre and initiastives by shops - eg the recent Thursday late opening before Christmas by Saltaire shops which should be applauded. Good luck to David Green and the team. Some of us are backing you to the hilt and hope that the feedback is good.So those loyal to Bradford who are excluded from this growth zone have similar shops open up not far from them who are benefiting from the growth zone and therefore have lower overheads than the existing shops and therefore can undercut them. How does that help them?
basil fawlty
says...
1:21pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Joedavid
says...
2:35pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Albion. wrote:Move the Bazars into them no need for planning permissions.
basil fawlty wrote:I would have thought that most of them will close down
Thee Voice of Reason wrote:The major need for Bradford is to bring additional shoppers into the City and that wont happen until we have the new Werstfield centre as the main attraction. Otherwise the City will continue to under perform. The existing shops will benefit in the medium and longer term when the city has a revival.
DM wrote: Bringing added investment into the city, and therefore extra jobs and footfall, will surely help existing businesses. Taking a persistently negative line, like the other contributors here, isnt going to help anyone. What I am interested in is positive initiatives, such as the working/living above the shop idea which helps create extra work space and brings people into the centre and initiastives by shops - eg the recent Thursday late opening before Christmas by Saltaire shops which should be applauded. Good luck to David Green and the team. Some of us are backing you to the hilt and hope that the feedback is good.So those loyal to Bradford who are excluded from this growth zone have similar shops open up not far from them who are benefiting from the growth zone and therefore have lower overheads than the existing shops and therefore can undercut them. How does that help them?
Danstarr69
says...
3:07pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Brannigan
says...
3:10pm Tue 20 Nov 12
thoughtout
says...
3:56pm Tue 20 Nov 12
thatsnotmyname wrote:did make me giggle as well
Westfield telling other people to invest in Bradford?
Tinybantam
says...
4:54pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Sashaboo2005
says...
5:21pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Shelfrhino
says...
10:05pm Tue 20 Nov 12
yorkshiredude
says...
10:54pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Idlelord
says...
3:39pm Wed 21 Nov 12
thatsnotmyname says...
7:43am Tue 20 Nov 12