Official figures back up what many have suspected for some time - that footfall has gone down in Darley Street and Kirkgate in the heart of Bradford, largely due to an increase in vacant shop units.

Darley Street, in particular, is looking sad and forlorn, so the Council’s latest initiative to bring in expertise to help attract retailers to the city centre’s empty units is very welcome.

One area that expertise should explore is whether or not the city centre retail core should be tighter and leaner. And perhaps one of the best things the Council could do would be to find a way to provide aid for retailers above Godwin Street to relocate down the hill to create a more compact shopping area.

BRADFORD COUNCIL LAUNCHES ACTION PLAN FOR STRUGGLING PART OF CITY CENTRE INCLUDING DARLEY STREET

A key issue is the city’s natural geography and it is quite clear that The Broadway shopping centre has combined with City Park, the Forster Square retail park and the Leisure Exchange to move the centre of gravity down towards the bottom of the Bradford bowl. And this situation can only be exacerbated when the Sunbridge Wells tunnels scheme opens.

In reality, there is no easy answer to the problems facing Bradford’s city centre retail sector but something must be done to turnaround a vacancy rate of 19.4 per cent. With this in mind, it is encouraging to see the Council considering a number of options to overcome the current difficulties, including seeking lottery funding to spruce up the frontages of empty units.

Let’s hope these initiatives prove to be more than just a sticking plaster. But the truth is Bradford needs an urgent reappraisal of how and where it provides its retail offer.