BRADFORD Councillor Sabiya Khan is delighted that her Wibsey ward has had a planning application approved to turn some waste land in the Bankfoot area into a soft play area and community garden.

The land which will be undergoing the major transformation is at the junction of Faxfleet Street and Rathmell Street and Councillor Khan stressed the vital role that community groups had played in getting the development up and running.

The Marshfield Odsal Bankfoot Enterprise (MOBE) proposed the plans to the council in November and with the help of other organistations, such as St Matthew's Church in Bankfoot, it took less than two months to come to a decision.

Councillor Khan enthused: "I'm very pleased. We've been working with MOBE to create a safe play area for young children and families to use.

"MOBE has worked together with St Matthew's Church and they and a few other groups, like Incommunities (based in Shipley), have been instrumental in the project."

MOBE was created in 2014 to look at issues in the area and Councillor Khan was full of praise for them.

She said: "They've been so important in bringing about change and improvement. In early December for example, they hosted an event and 200 families showed up to celebrate Christmas together.

"It's so important because there is a lot of poverty in this area due to the cuts from central government. These community activists therefore play a key role."

Asked what else is being done in her Wibsey ward, Councillor Khan explained: "We're focused on trying to improve the environment.

"Lots of litter picking and clean ups get organised and the local residents and children really look after that. St Matthew's have group events set up for all ages and it's great because bringing generations together is something we need to address."

Lincoln Anderson made the successful application for the play area and community garden. He is a project manager at MOBE and he believes that a strong bond has developed between the group and Bradford South residents.

He said: "The community is beginning to trust us because we've proved we can deliver on what we say. Any events that we organise, people turn up.

"We're not there to make money, we're there to assist the community and bring cohesion. We're here for the long-term."

The community has bought into MOBE's ideas, and Mr Anderson said: "We host a lot of community fun day events for the youngsters and everyone just has a nice time, it's not rowdy at all.

"The people that go don't necessarily get to see each other every day so it's great to have them socialising and eating together."

Mr Anderson cannot wait to get started with the play area and community garden development, and he said: "The plans have all been drawn up and completed, but we still need to get things sorted with contractors.

"It's still very much at the embryonic stage just yet."