An eyesore Bradford ghetto in the heart of the city is expected to be redeveloped as part of a multi-million pound housing strategy.

Investment to demolish and replace dilapidated and boarded-up properties in the Chain Street area is one element of Bradford Council’s newly-drafted nine-year Local Investment Plan, predominantly aimed at bringing empty homes and vacant residential sites back into use.

Incommunities, the biggest social landlord in the district, is working with the Council and the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency on a £5.5 million scheme to refurbish and rebuild family homes in the Goitside conservation area, taking in Chain Street, Roundhill Place and Wigan Street.

The plan’s other short-term priorities include building new homes on previous housing sites or bringing properties back into use in Manningham and Ravenscliffe, Bradford, and in Woodhouse, Keighley.

A site acquired by the Council in Warren Lane, Gilstead, is also earmarked for 30 new homes.

All these developments are intended to be carried out in the next two years, subject to funding.

Richard Burnham, principal development manager at the Council’s department of regeneration and culture, said: “The majority of proposed projects are on brownfield land and this will on most occasions be the Council’s priority.

“There might be occasions when non-brownfield sites would be considered but these sites will only be brought forward if they are identified through the Local Develop-ment Plan (LIP) process.”

He said the Homes and Communities Agency was an important funding partner.

“However, we recognise that the Agency does not have the resour-ces available that it had in the past and it is for this reason that the LIP looks to identify other funding mechanisms and routes,” he said.

Should the plan be approved by the executive on Friday, April 15, demolition could start in Chain Street in the autumn.