WORK on an iconic £1.4m enterprise centre in the heart of Idle village is on time and on target for next week's stone laying ceremony.

Nasim Qureshi, who is the chief executive of the company behind the development Inspired Neighbourhoods Community Interest Company (INCIC), said everything was running to schedule.

INCIC will be running the Wright Watson Enterprise Centre when it officially opens at the start of December this year, but additional funding to make it a reality has come from the European Regional Development Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd and Bradford Council.

Mr Qureshi said the project was completely regenerating a landmark site that was home to Idle Wesleyan Chapel in the 1800s and then becameThorpe Methodist Church until it closed in 2008.

It is also the burial place of Wright Watson, a prominent local author and historian after whom the development is named.

"Work is right on time in fact we are about one week ahead of ourselves. We are expecting everything to be finished and done by the end of November with an official opening happening some time in the first two weeks of December," he said.

"It's an iconic building for Idle in an area that has suffered deprivation in the past. It's going to be a hub for enterprise, a hub for employment, it's saved the library from closing."

The centre will have start-up office spaces for budding Bradford entrepreneurs, a village library , exhibition area and room for community meetings, training and activities.

There will also be a heritage room, funded by the Heritage Lottery fund, which will explore the contribution of First and Second World War Veterans from Idle.

Outside in the grounds there will be a children’s play area and the creation of a commemorative garden to honour and remember the sacrifices made by local people during the wars.

Earlier this year, plans went on display for the public to see and the project had asked to hear from people with relatives buried in the old graveyard with respect to its plans for community and commemorative gardens - most of the funding for the centre scheme was spent on replacing the roof and expanding the church building.

At Tuesday's ceremony, the foundation stone will be laid by Idle and Thackley councillor and Liberal Democrat leader Jeanette Sunderland, who is also the chairman of INCIC.