SIR – According to our Strategic Director of Regeneration: “People are the greatest asset of any place, and without their activity and engagement you have a ghost town.”

So where are Bradford’s forgotten people?

Perhaps a lot of them used to live in the 13,700 empty properties, many of which are within walking distance of city centre shops and services My understanding is that our democratically-elected councillors have the power and, above all, the duty to instruct the planning executives to stop facilitating the use of finite green land for unnecessary new housing.

Instead they should be charged with regenerating the existing asset of empty properties.

At a stroke they would diminish the transport problem and bolster the viability of city centre retail and leisure Of course there will be difficulties in execution, but our executives are paid highly to overcome them and if they can’t then they should make way for those who can.

No longer can the consultant-led, green land soft option prevail and unless Bradford uses the properties it has got to bring living and leisure back into the centre of Bradford, then the quoted “ghost town” will be a reality.

John Pashley, Westcliffe Avenue, Baildon