WORK is continuing apace on the Westfield Broadway shopping centre in Bradford, with council officials given a sneak peek of how it is progressing today.

The £260 million project is taking shape with work now complete on the frame of the development and cladding currently being fitted to the outside of the structure.

Westfield's chiefs, site managers and Bradford Council leader, Councillor David Green, were this afternoon given a guided tour of the inside of the shell of the centre.

They said work was going well and all of their construction targets were currently being met on time.

It is hoped to get the structure watertight by Christmas, with the first two shops, Marks & Spencer and Debenhams expected to be ready by April next year for contractors to complete their work.

Last month, New Look and JD Sports became the latest retailers to sign up.

They joined Marks & Spencer, Top Shop and Top Man, River Island and Boots which have already committed to having units on the ten-acre site which will house more than 70 shops.

The centre is expected to create 2,500 retail jobs and is due to open its doors to shoppers in December 2015.

The car park will feature five floors and 1,300 spaces, with 570,000 sq ft of retail space.

Bradford companies are involved in the mechanical and electrical engineering, groundwork and concrete and security at the site.

A 'topping up' ceremony is the next milestone for the construction process to reach, when the building work gets to its highest point.

Cllr Green said: "The progress that you see on this site is stupendous.

"You can also see real progress in how the Westfield centre is fitting in with the rest of the city centre.

"There are people who want to shop in Bradford. More cranes in the sky is good for the city.

"Over the last three or four years we have been working hard behind the scenes to bring in new investment to develop the city centre."

Duncan Bower, Westfield director of development, said: "I am absolutely thrilled by the progress.

"We are now staring at the bones of a shopping centre here.

"We are working closely with the council and Chamber of Commerce on jobs for the shops.

"Bradford is getting what it wants and what it needs."

Mervyn Lowe, project director, said: "I'm happy with how the project is going at the moment.

"We are aiming to go watertight with the structure by Christmas.

"We have 360 people working on the site.

"Marks and Spencer and Debenhams will be the first shells to be completed by April next year, for the contractors to complete their work on the two stores."