A Bradford business of nearly 20 years, which moved to make way for the Westfield development, may have to shut within months unless work begins at its former site.

Antonio Barbiero, owner of Pizza Pieces in Market Street, said he may have to close in September unless Westfield begins to develop the site from where he was forced to move seven years ago.

But Councillor David Green, Bradford Council’s executive member for regeneration and culture, has said he hopes there will be positive news surrounding the site “in the very near future”.

Mr Barbiero said he was told the Westfield development, which he hoped would drive increased footfall to the bottom end of Bradford, would be built in 2008. He is now reviewing his business, which is losing about £1,000 a week. He said: “The position now is that I can no longer wait. I have less hope with Westfield and my view is they have actually ruined 20 years of my life. Twenty years of hard work has gone down the drain because how far can you carry on like this and wait for this Westfield to be built?”

Mr Barbiero opened the original shop on the corner of Bank Street in 1993. By the time he was forced to move in 2005 he was averaging profits of about £1,000 a week.

He said he was given six weeks notice as part of a Compulsory Purchase Order to find new premises. He swapped sites to the bigger premises in Market Street, where business continued to thrive until the onset of the credit crunch in 2008.

Mr Barbiero, who has been forced to use his private pension to keep the business afloat, said without the help of his landlord, he would have had to shut last March.

Councillor Green said the Australian developer, which was given planning permission for a revised scheme last year, had a problem as retailers were suffering nationally.

He said: “I have a great deal of sympathy both in terms of the national and international recession and the effect it’s having on businesses, although it’s clear that the Council’s influence on the international and national situation is non-existent.

“But in terms of the Westfield development, I’m hoping we will be making some positive announcements in the very near future.”

Coun Green said the developer’s current scheme was more “deliverable” in the current climate.