WITH the cladding being applied to the exterior of the framework of The Broadway shopping centre, which has been going up at a fair lick these past few months, it really feels like the new facility is getting closer to completion.

It has been amazing to watch the hive of activity on the site since the start of the year, and what has emerged is a huge shopping mall which will hopefully be a credit to Bradford.

The successful raising of the structure is only half the battle, though – now the race is on to fill all the shop units before the projected opening next year.

Already a good number of High Street names have signed up to be part of the Westfield site, but more are needed to make sure the retail offer is as broad as possible.

So we should all wish the hunting party – including Bradford council leader David Green and representatives of developers Westfield and anchor store Debenhams – the best of luck when they head down to London in a bid to secure more tenants for the site.

They will be taking the message that there has never been a better time to invest in Bradford, and they are right. Not only due to Westfield, but because there’s a real wind of change blowing through the city centre.

With City Park continuing to be a major success, new developments such as the Sunbridge Road tunnel project getting under way, and constant fresh investment in Bradford, it really feels like things are turning a corner into brighter times.

Let us hope we finally get the city centre we deserve.