Jeweller Jeff Frankel welcomes City of Enterprise bid (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Fowler & Oldfield director calls on traders to show their faith in Bradford
7:50am Monday 30th May 2011 in News
By James Rush, T&A Reporter
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Jeff Frankel, of Fowler & Oldfield, which has undergone a £30,000 renovation
City centre retailers are putting their weight behind a bid to turn the area into an enterprise zone.
Becoming an enterprise zone will kickstart £1 billion of city centre projects and create more than 5,000 jobs, say Bradford Council’s regeneration chiefs.
Jeff Frankel, a director of Fowler & Oldfield The Jewellers, in Kirkgate, Bradford, said a successful bid would bring a wave of confidence back into the city.
He said his firm had already displayed its loyalty to Bradford after it re-opened last week following a £30,000 refurbishment.
He said: “Of course I’m in favour or anything that brings extra trade and interest to the city.
“If something like this goes well then people will have more confidence in the city centre and we have stated already our confidence in the city with our refurbishment.
“After saying ‘I’ve seen it all before’, if only one of the schemes come to actual fruition it will be of benefit.
“The traders are looking for anything that will help boost business and if this is the thing that’s going to do it then everyone will be 100 per cent behind it.
“What people don’t want of course is another false dawn.”
Mr Frankel also made a call to other retailers to show their faith in the city centre by investing in their businesses to improve the range of shops on offer.
He said: “Business was going down and we decided if we had this refurbishment to show our faith in Bradford we would get a return on our investment with hopefully the people of Bradford supporting us.
“If people want their businesses to expand they have got to be prepared to invest.
“But at the end of the day we are relying on the people of Bradford to support us because without their support the city centre will go down even further than it is now.
“The people in the district of Bradford, which includes areas such as Ilkley and Bingley, don’t necessarily come into Bradford because the range of shops that are needed is not there.
“Now, by doing what we have done, and if other people do the same, then we might encourage people to come back into Bradford.
“As shopkeepers we are reliant on the public – if the public don’t come to us whatever we do will not help.”
Rival bids have been submitted by three other authorities: Leeds City Council, Wakefield Council and Selby District Council.
The Leeds City Region LEP Board, which includes Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood and John Parkin, chief executive of Leeds-Bradford International Airport, will make a decision on June 15 after recommendations from a private sector-led task group. That decision will then need Govern-ment ratification.
Mary Frame, of Bradford Chamber of Trade, said she hoped if Bradford was successful in its enterprise zone bid, it would also bring benefits to existing shops.
She said: “Anything that stimulates trade is welcome of course, but we need some investment to get shoppers back into Bradford because so many have drifted away and we need that stimulus to bring them back.
“The current shops have stuck by Bradford and, as Jeff is saying, they have invested in the premises again to entice people to come, so they need some reward for their efforts.”
- Read the full story in Monday's T&A
Comments(23)
Thee Voice of Reason
says...
10:01am Mon 30 May 11
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We seem to pin all our hopes in one basket on big projects, instead of making many minor schemes happen which would change the face of the city. The neglect now also means many small improvements won't make a difference anymore tbh.
webess
says...
10:39am Mon 30 May 11
As for EZ bid. No pleasing the moaners - if the council do go for EZ status they moan about failed initiatives etc. If they didn't go for EZ status they'd be moaning about council doing nothing.
rugger-tyke
says...
11:00am Mon 30 May 11
Bring the GEP on!
MontyLeMar
says...
11:00am Mon 30 May 11
Mr Frankel's refurb of his premises is to be praised but Leeds centre retailers have been refurbing on a regular basis for ages knowing that they need to keep up appearances to keep the punters coming in. Our retailers just moan that there are no customers and just close down.
I'm afraid pinning all our hopes on the EZ bid is too risky, best to get Westfield to get on with the job they were contracted to do 5 years ago, it will make all the difference to our centre if they do.
rugger-tyke
says...
11:02am Mon 30 May 11
rugger-tyke
says...
11:02am Mon 30 May 11
rugger-tyke
says...
11:05am Mon 30 May 11
This is huge opportunity.
Oh, and lay down the law on Westfield, fine them or something.
rugger-tyke
says...
11:09am Mon 30 May 11
Liverpool; Manchester and Newcastle cover most retailing sectors in the North.
If unfortunate families with heart problems have to travel to these places, retailers in Bradford can travel to Leeds and aforementioned destinations.
Les pessimism, more optimism!
Bradford has the chance to go International!
{{{{ Nil Satis Nisi Optimum }}}}
flashman
says...
12:28pm Mon 30 May 11
webess
says...
1:24pm Mon 30 May 11
flashman wrote:You planning to move there yourself? If so Queenie builder or other might well build there. They build where there's demand - gedit?
Queenie builder - after lining his own pockets ? There's plenty of development opporunities out there ! Why not buy the empty mill down Great Horton Road and make it into flats that should keep you busy !!
vikksy
says...
1:54pm Mon 30 May 11
Bradford Builder
says...
2:00pm Mon 30 May 11
flashman wrote:when will you realise that green field development has to take place. Bradford cannot survive without it. It is needed now in order to house our ever increasing population or do you just want to shove these people in flats down Great Horton. Any scheme to improve Bradford is a good idea, but unless you increase quality housing, you won't attract quality people, who can provide quality management, and earn quality money, to spend in Bradford, OR lets convert some flats for social housing.
Queenie builder - after lining his own pockets ? There's plenty of development opporunities out there ! Why not buy the empty mill down Great Horton Road and make it into flats that should keep you busy !!
Moon on a stick
says...
2:07pm Mon 30 May 11
vikksy wrote:100's empty. There were a fair number of professional people, typically working in Leeds, they soon moved on however.
Re the post suggesting new housing to bring in business people. Don't we have plenty of 'luxury' apartments already. So many standing empty and even more being built on Vicar Lane. Leave the grass alone.
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A city centre with no parking, few shops and that dies after 6pm just wasn't attractive especially seeing the difference in Leeds, the prices between apartments between the two cities wasn't that much either, though Bradford's have fallen further.
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At best they're social housing now, they're not replacements for houses however, flats can't provide good living for a couple with children.
Mike Strutter
says...
7:14pm Mon 30 May 11
Bradford Builder wrote:So what's your take on what is going on , on your own door step ? Harrowins Farm and Hazelhurst to name a couple. Nearly 300 new houses yet dentists, schools and doctors all full.
flashman wrote:when will you realise that green field development has to take place. Bradford cannot survive without it. It is needed now in order to house our ever increasing population or do you just want to shove these people in flats down Great Horton. Any scheme to improve Bradford is a good idea, but unless you increase quality housing, you won't attract quality people, who can provide quality management, and earn quality money, to spend in Bradford, OR lets convert some flats for social housing.
Queenie builder - after lining his own pockets ? There's plenty of development opporunities out there ! Why not buy the empty mill down Great Horton Road and make it into flats that should keep you busy !!
Yeah let's build more eh ?
Bradford Builder
says...
7:30pm Mon 30 May 11
Mike Strutter wrote:3000 and you can start talking, 300 a joke
Bradford Builder wrote:So what's your take on what is going on , on your own door step ? Harrowins Farm and Hazelhurst to name a couple. Nearly 300 new houses yet dentists, schools and doctors all full.
flashman wrote:when will you realise that green field development has to take place. Bradford cannot survive without it. It is needed now in order to house our ever increasing population or do you just want to shove these people in flats down Great Horton. Any scheme to improve Bradford is a good idea, but unless you increase quality housing, you won't attract quality people, who can provide quality management, and earn quality money, to spend in Bradford, OR lets convert some flats for social housing.
Queenie builder - after lining his own pockets ? There's plenty of development opporunities out there ! Why not buy the empty mill down Great Horton Road and make it into flats that should keep you busy !!
Yeah let's build more eh ?
flashman
says...
8:14pm Mon 30 May 11
webess
says...
8:37pm Mon 30 May 11
Mike Strutter wrote:If the schools are full does this not point to an upcoming housing shortage when the kids leave school and shouldn't we build now before it's too late?
Bradford Builder wrote:So what's your take on what is going on , on your own door step ? Harrowins Farm and Hazelhurst to name a couple. Nearly 300 new houses yet dentists, schools and doctors all full.
flashman wrote:when will you realise that green field development has to take place. Bradford cannot survive without it. It is needed now in order to house our ever increasing population or do you just want to shove these people in flats down Great Horton. Any scheme to improve Bradford is a good idea, but unless you increase quality housing, you won't attract quality people, who can provide quality management, and earn quality money, to spend in Bradford, OR lets convert some flats for social housing.
Queenie builder - after lining his own pockets ? There's plenty of development opporunities out there ! Why not buy the empty mill down Great Horton Road and make it into flats that should keep you busy !!
Yeah let's build more eh ?
Joedavid
says...
8:41pm Mon 30 May 11
Will it get the Odeon finished?
No one in their right mind will come to Bradford with them unfinuished.
webess
says...
8:43pm Mon 30 May 11
flashman wrote:Totally meaningless. Very few of those 256 will be empty, majority of empty properties are in precisely the areas where the nimby's reckon building should be taking place.
Re Webess and Queenie Builder. So we NEED to build more houses on green belt ?? Let's take Queensbury for example 256 houses for sale (see rightmove) ranging in price from £650K to £34.5K plenty to go at even for those "quality people" Don't have a dividing line between cities/towns just build build build ! Welcome to Bradifax !!
Patrick Bateman
says...
12:24am Tue 31 May 11
Mike Strutter
says...
5:24am Tue 31 May 11
Moon on a stick
says...
8:37am Tue 31 May 11
Joedavid wrote:Given the Odeon is mainly hotel and office space I doubt this will make any difference. The rates discount is more likely to attract retail business. Office business would find moving its IT infrastructure, plus the disruption in moving costing more than the savings on offer.
If we get this will it get the Westfield completed quick?
Will it get the Odeon finished?
No one in their right mind will come to Bradford with them unfinuished.
Bradford Builder says...
9:13am Mon 30 May 11