ANGRY top-of-town traders have accused Bradford Council of incompetency as an announcement over the future of the beleaguered Oastler Shopping Centre drags on.

Shop and stall holders have warned their livelihoods are at stake as they watch customer numbers fall and anti-social behaviour rise, with no idea whether there are plans for them to stay in a revamped centre or be moved to another site.

Mal Singh, who runs Rio Clothing, said the Council seemed to be dragging its heels as trading got more difficult.

Traders have been pressuring the Council for a decision since Morrisons closed last year and the top two floors of Westgate car park were shut off for health and safety reasons.

They have also noted a drop in footfall since the City Bus, which dropped off in John Street, was discontinued.

“The Council keeps telling us there will be an announcement this quarter.

“There is anti-social behaviour from alcoholics and drug takers that hang around all day around the Oastler Centre and scare civilised consumers away with their unruly and aggressive behaviour,” Mr Singh said, adding that many used the car park steps as an open toilet.

“I saw Mr Ross-Shaw only a few days ago in the market and quizzed him. He would not be moved on the plans and just said 'There are two factions in the market and they are diametrically opposed'.

“All I can take from that is that there are traders who want to stay and others who want to go.”

The Council said it had received an estimate of £1.7 million to bring the car park back into full use but it says spending that sort of money cannot be justified while a decision has still to be made on the centre and market.

Both Mr Singh and Oastler Centre butcher David Crompton have suggested the traders move to Darley Street.

Mr Crompton said: “The M&S building wants bulldozing and the market putting in there. There is plenty of scope to put some sort of canopy across the street to adjoin both sides and provide additional spaces.”

Sifte Hassan, who has run Ann’s Haberdashery and Handicrafts in the market for ten years added: “I want to buy new shutters for the stall but I can’t. I need to know if the Council is doing something with the market or not.”

Jeff Frankel, who has run Sydney’s jewellers for more than 40 years, called the Council “incompetent”.

“Over the years they have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on feasibility studies and taken no notice of the consultants.

“There has been Bradford Breakthrough, Bradford’s Bouncing Back, 2020 Vision and the Alsop’s report, all plans to regenerate the city but nothing has helped the whole of the city.

"You only need to look at how long that hole was in the centre to see no one knows what they are doing. The Council is dysfunctional and completely incompetent,” he said.

Mr Frankel said in 2014 consultants brought in by the Council came up with three options for the top of town.

“They were for us at the Oastler Centre to move in with Kirkgate; Kirkgate to move in with us or find somewhere else for us all to go.

“They drew up plans for a revamped Oastler Centre in around November 2015 which the majority of us agreed with. Then came the announcement that Morrisons was closing and we’ve heard nothing since.

“Personally I’d prefer to stay here because I have loyal customers.

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “We are still on course to make an announcement before the end of March about the potential plans for the Oastler Shopping Centre and market.

"This was the decision that had to be put on hold when Morrisons announced that it would close its store on Westgate in April last year.

“We have been clear that the money initially set aside for the refurbishment of the centre is still available and has not been spent elsewhere.

“The Council appointed consultants in 2014 to undertake a feasibility study of the city centre markets which identified a number of options ranging from carrying out minor enhancements to major redevelopment of the markets at a new location and these are being looked at as part of the review.”