BRADFORD has seen one of the steepest growth rates in the UK for people living in city centres.

Between 2002 and 2015 the number of people living in Bradford city centre rose by 146 per cent.

However, the number of city centre residents is still much smaller than in other major UK cities.

The figures, from the Office of National Statistics, come a few months after Bradford Council published its City Centre Area Action Plan - which calls for 3,500 new homes to be created in the centre between now and 2030.

The figures show that Bradford had the fifth highest growth rate in city centre residents (living within 0.6 miles of the city centre) in the period. Liverpool saw the largest increase (181 per cent) followed by Birmingham (163 per cent), Leeds (150 per cent) and Manchester (149 per cent).

However, Bradford’s rise was from a low starting point - in 2002 there were just 1,300 people living in the city centre. This rose to 3,200 people in 2015. By comparison, Leeds had 12,900 city centre residents in 2002, rising to 32,300 people.

Bradford Council’s recent policies for the city centre have called for more space to be used for housing. In recent years property owners have been encourage to convert empty upper floors of shop and business units into apartments.

Permission has been granted for major new build apartment developments, such as a 166 flat development Grammar School Street, off North Parade, and other developers have been given permission to convert existing buildings, such as Pennine House in Little Germany (pictured) and Conditioning House on Canal Road into apartments.

One of the biggest housing schemes in the city centre is the proposed new “city village” due to be built on the site of Oastler Market once traders move to Darley Street and the building is demolished.

The Bradford City Centre Area Action Plan says that by 2030, the city centre should see: “The delivery of 3,500 homes in the city centre, providing a range of housing sizes and tenancies through the allocation of land and land use policies, to ensure city living is available to all residents of Bradford and beyond. New homes will be built to the highest viable and feasible design and construction standards and supported with convenience retail and services within and surrounding the city centre, ensuring they form part of a development or are easily accessible.”

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “Bradford city centre has been transformed in recent years through high quality improvements to its public spaces and a range of private sector investments including the Broadway shopping centre.

“Many of the new homes have been apartments such as Manor Buildings on Manor Row, which won a best conversion Building Control award recently, however, our ambition is to develop the ‘Top of Town’ area by creating a new City Village. “This will promote greater health and wellbeing through high quality housing set in an attractive vibrant environment with great transport links.”