Have your say on £17m City Park bid

Detailed designs of the city park, with mirror pool and events plaza, are unveiled for the first time today as part of a £17m lottery bid.

And the Telegraph & Argus is urging its readers to get behind the bid and help make the first phase of the ambitious scheme a reality.

The mirror pool will be able to change in size and shape and includes fountains, jets and causeways. The water can also be drained for easy maintenance and for hosting major events.

Bradford will compete against 22 other cities across the country for the lottery cash, and is the only West Yorkshire scheme in the running. Over the next six weeks Bradfordians can get involved by filling out the coupon, left, a leaflet available in City Hall, libraries, shops and public buildings across the district, or by visiting www.parkattheheart.com.

People will be asked; l What would attract you to use Bradford City Park?

• What generally would you like to see in the park?
• What's important to make the City Park work?
• What part of Bradford's history or culture would you like to see in the park?
• The final designs incorporating the ideas of Bradford's residents and demonstrating their support will form part of a Big Lottery Fund Living Landmark bid in May.

The cash will cover the water features planned in phase one of the city park scheme - the mirror pool and reinstatement of a section of Bradford Beck - along with the hard landscaping. The overall cost is expected to reach £23m.

Both Lord Mayor Choudhary Rangzeb and Councillor Andrew Mallinson, the council's executive member for regeneration, are backing the plans.

The Lord Mayor said: "Bradford's city park will be a fantastic place which can be enjoyed by people of all ages and from all communities. It will bring people from across the district together and will revitalise the city centre.

"I urge everyone to take their chance to have their say on this so we can make it truly unique to our city. Help us make it a development which we can all be very proud of. I will be keeping my fingers crossed and think we have a great chance of getting the funding but the more people that get involved in the consultation, the greater leverage we will have."

Coun Mallinson said: "All four of the neighbourhood development frameworks for the city centre have included really headturning plans none more so than The Bowl, which includes some very innovative proposals.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for residents to express their views and opinions on the plans and let us know exactly what they want to see.

"It is a very exciting scheme, which is going to really transform the heart of the city centre and will really complement the regeneration work taking place across central Bradford."

The proposed park covers 375,000 sq ft from Jacob's Well to Centenary Square and incorporates City Hall and Norfolk Gardens.

It includes children's play areas, art displays, cafes, bars and restaurants, green areas and places to sit, eat and relax. The park itself will form a key part of the city's identity and the centrepiece mirror pool can easily be drained to hold concerts for up to 10,000 people and a temporary ice rink in the winter.

The second phase of the scheme, which is not included in the lottery bid, includes four office developments and a residential scheme. The office blocks could have cafes, bars and shops on the ground floor.

Trevor Lewis, deputy chairman of Bradford Centre Regeneration, the company spearheading the city's renaissance, said: "The City Park will be a centrepiece for Bradford and will be a flexible space which can be enjoyed by all. It's important that people get involved to tell us what they want to see in the park so this can be reflected in the final designs."

Last month, the T&A reported that people were to be consulted again after a major re-think of the plans following an initial public consultation last year.

A shallow pool was put forward instead of a larger lake which was first suggested in Will Alsop's 2003 masterplan. This means the first phase can be completed without relocating the magistrates court.

The city park is part of the Bowl quarter - one of four city-centre segments in the ambitious regeneration plans.

e-mail: jo.winrow@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

How the plans look

Mirror Pool and Events Plaza (Phase 1) The huge mirror pool is the focus for City Park. It's a water feature that has fountain displays and geysers, and acts as a mirror to reflect City Hall on its surface.

The pool can change shape and size, create a series of smaller pools, or even drain down completely to create a flexible events arena catering for concerts, carnivals, markets and theatre, with a capacity for holding 10,000 people.

It can also accommodate a temporary ice rink in winter.

Centenary Square (Phase 1) Centenary Square will remain the main civic space for the city. Refurbishment of the planters and paving surface with bold swathes of planting, new lighting and art work will all give the space a new lease of life and reinforce the formality of the space in relation to the City Hall facade.

Norfolk Gardens (Phase 1) A quiet, reflective space for praying, relaxing or reading. A feature wall provides enclosure for the space and acts as a gallery wall for memorials, information and artwork and high-quality bus shelters on Hall Ings.

A cafe/restaurant also provides enclosure to the space and activity through an external terrace looking out on to the gardens.

A babbling beck meanders beneath a tree canopy with seating and planting mounds along its length.

Business Forest (Phase 2) Landmark office buildings frame the plaza and mirror pool, and will be the starting point for the new business community. Cafes, bars and shops on the ground floor spill out into the main space.

Central atrium spaces provide covered winter gardens, and there is potential for the buildings to link with the Media Museum over a land bridge across Princes Way.

A residential tower will provide city living and also help to frame views of the Alhambra from the main plaza. Large swathes of green space provide shelter and enclosure from the busy road and a green setting for the office buildings and main plaza.

The linear water feature will bring to the surface the old water courses of Bradford, and will meander round the edge of the plaza taking on different forms and eventually flowing into Norfolk Gardens.

The Business Forest will accommodate a range of activities, including a large play area, a youth park, raised seating terraces and bars and cafes, as well as the plant room for the water feature, event space storage, and back-of-house facilities and toilets, and a basement car park for the office buildings.