THE £1.5 million Sunbridgewells underground development scheme has been hit by a further delay to its opening, according to its frustrated developer.

The long-awaited scheme was scheduled to open by the end of this month, but has suffered a further setback due to the need for for extra building work and “legal reasons” relating to leases for the bars and shops.

The developer says it will not now open its doors until the end of August at the earliest.

The building team has also been handed additional work, including fitting out extra walls and shelving in some of the development’s shops.

The underground complex, off Centenary Square, will open in two stages with its first phase, including 14 shops, with three still to be leased out, a Laurel and Hardy-themed bar, a tapas restaurant, a 1920s bar and a traditional-style pub.

The second phase, set to open at a later date, is the International restaurant, which will be accessed off Ivegate.

The scheme, which was originally due to open in late 2014, is set to support 25 new businesses and create 70 jobs and has been hit by a number of setbacks which have pushed back its opening date. A glass roof for the site’s atrium, which includes a staircase going through each of its three floors, has been installed.

Graham Hall, of Yeadon-based developer Sunbridgewells, said earlier this month he was confident the project would be open by the end of July, but speaking this week he said he is as frustrated as anyone that the project has been hit by a further setback. He said: “I’m more frustrated than anybody.

“This is my project. I have been working on it for the last nine years. I would say to people hold tight and we will get there in the end. It will be worth it once it is all up and running. We are looking at the end of August to open up now. I’m about as confident as I can be.

“We cannot wait for the moment when we open our doors and show the people of Bradford what we have done and what is possible. We can’t open the site until it is all finished. We still have to get the wifi sorted for the site too. We are sorting leases out with tenants as well.”

Mr Hall added further building work inside the development was also contributing to the delay in the opening date being announced.

“There is extra construction work for us to complete. We are catering for 25 businesses. We are waiting to change things in the shops.We are fitting out shops with extra walls, there is plastering to do, shelving and counters to put in. It’s a big project fraught with problems in its own right.”

Its selection of bars will have a licence to open until 2am and the retail units, including a coffee shop, hairdressers and make-up store, will be able to open between 8am and 11pm.

The development will display a number of artifacts from the city’s past loaned from the Bradford Industrial Museum. These include a Bolling Hall Museum sign from the 1930s, a display board from Manningham Lido swimming pool, a Theatre Royal Bradford advertising poster board, a Bradford Park Avenue AFC football ground sign and a Queensbury road sign.