At a time when there are suggestions that the rise in house prices nationally might be stalling, it is generally encouraging that those in the Bradford area continue to climb. The average rise across the district of 24 per cent is excellent for those already on the housing ladder. Homeowners in the Bingley and Ilkley areas must be particularly delighted at the increases there.

In fact the latest figures from the Halifax are good news for Bradford. Coupled with the announcement of an application to build 500 apartments in Thornton Road, they strongly suggest that there is a new confidence in this city. Developers are seeking to invest here because they believe that people want to live here, both in the city centre and on the outskirts. And the interest being shown at the prices being asked proves that they are right.

The rush to build close to the heart of Bradford, which Bradford Centre Regeneration predicts could lead to 7,500 living in the city centre within a decade, is bound to accelerate the growth of the shops and services they will need, not only during the day but in the evenings and at weekends. As a result, Bradford will become even more of a city in which people want to work, live and play.

The one reservation is the effect on first-time buyers, who in some parts of the district are being squeezed out of the areas in which they grew up and wish to continue to live. It is important that the Council ensures that there is adequate "affordable housing" to meet their needs among the new developments it approves.