THERE is "real potential" for Bradford city centre on the back of major investment projects, a regeneration committee will be told next week.

But regeneration bosses at Bradford Council have also warned that there is still work to be done filling empty city-centre properties, restoring pride in the city and tackling anti-social behaviour.

Central Bradford is now "delivering a steady stream of wealth-creating projects", strategic director of regeneration Mike Cowlam has said in a new report to the authority's regeneration and economy overview and scrutiny committee.

His report says the Broadway shopping centre, which opens on November 5, should boost the local economy by around half a billion pounds a year.

Meanwhile, the Council has moved around 2,000 staff into its city-centre offices and the city-centre growth zone scheme has "delivered impressive results", creating 374 jobs and bringing 47 vacant properties back into use, he says.

But he adds a note of caution by saying: "Whilst recognising the significant progress that is being made, it is also clear that the city centre faces challenges to build on this momentum, including bringing vacant properties back into use and addressing the number of empty upper floors in many city centre properties, restoring pride in the city centre, tackling anti-social behaviour and addressing negative perceptions."

His report says the Council has looked at how the opening of a city-centre shopping mall in Derby affected its existing shopping areas, to try to anticipate how the Broadway will affect the rest of Bradford.

Mr Cowlam says there are "potential negative impacts" on other shopping areas in the city, so as part of the next phase of the growth zone scheme, the Council will be offering incentives for retailers to move into streets like Darley Street and Kirkgate.

His report also gives an update on a host of prominent empty buildings.

The large former mill Conditioning House, on Shipley Airedale Road, is said to offer the "opportunity for residential development".

The former TJ Hughes premises Sunwin House, now owned by Legal and General, remains available "for a variety of uses", he says.

He adds: "Thus far, enquiries appear to have been for individual floors and at rental rates that were not acceptable to Legal and General."

The former Royal Mail parcel office, near Forster Square Retail Park, has been bought up by the retail park's owners British Land.

Mr Cowlam says they had put forward a single-storey development scheme, but planning officers asked them to develop a multi-level plan more in line with the Broadway centre.

He says: "A detailed planning application is expected shortly."

The regeneration and economy overview and scrutiny committee meets at City Hall, Bradford, on Wednesday, October 14.