TURNING city centre roads into cobbled streets, demolishing eyesore buildings and replacing roads with "green links" are some of the ideas suggested to improve Bradford city centre.

Last month Bradford Civic Society piloted an online tool that would allow residents of the city to "drop" suggestions on how they would like to see Bradford improved on a map.

Over 600 people used the tool during the pilot, and the results will be passed on to Bradford Council to help shape future city planning.

Areas that were flagged as needing improvement included the city's railway stations and empty shops on once thriving Kirkgate.

What is the "Transforming Cities Fund" and what will it mean for Bradford?

As well as allowing people to make suggestions on what could be improved, the tool let people share what they like the most about the city centre - and what they wanted to see repeated elsewhere.

Data from the pilot phase shows that City Park, the Odeon redevelopment site, and Little Germany are by far the ‘most liked’ areas of the city centre.

Users also posted several comments in support of Bradford’s heritage streets – the area centred on the Wool Exchange, Hustergate, Bank Street and Ivegate.

Areas that scored poorly include Kirkgate, the former Royal Mail sorting office site and the Princes Way road that separates City Park from some of Bradford’s biggest cultural attractions.

Several map users expressed concern about the number of shop vacancies on Kirkgate, and called for buildings on the street to be demolished.

The map showed an appreciation for the industrial Goitside area, one of the city's Conservation Areas, but indicated a high concentration of complaints about the general upkeep of the area and some of its large mill buildings.

Several map users expressed scepticism over the so-called ‘City Village’ plan to create housing on the site of the Oastler Centre once the market is demolished in 2022.

Some of the suggestions plotted on the map include:

● Integrating the central mosque building on Westgate into the city centre by creating a new bridge link and gardens.

● Demolishing neglected buildings behind the former Odeon building to make the area more attractive for prospective hospitality use.

● Pedestrianising North Parade.

● Turning Cheapside and Manor Row into cobbled streets to calm traffic and enhance the historic buildings.

● Closing Princes Way to through traffic to provide a green link between City Park and Bradford Live, the Alhambra, and the National Science and Media Museum.

The Future Vision map was developed by Civic Society Place Panel member Kieren Thompson with IBI Group, and the initial findings from the pilot phase will be shared with Bradford City Council and Bradford BID. The Civic Society is now exploring funding options to make the map tool a permanent feature for Bradford.