LATEST NEWS: New inner city play park officially opens after 10 months of work

WORK has finally begun to turn and empty inner city site into a "nature inspired play area."

The transformation of the land, on Scotchman Road, is being carried out in partnership with JU;MP, a Sport England funded scheme set up to encourage young people in inner city areas of Bradford to get more active.

The site will feature wildflowers and tree planting work alongside landscaping to form natural elements with rocks and boulders for children to climb on.

It is aimed at children aged between four and 14, and includes a "kickabout area" and pathways linking neighbouring streets.

A local consultation involving 2,000 children and local residents helped design the features in the play area.

The scheme has been in the planning stages for years, but this week work is finally due to start.

As well as the Sport England funding, the project is also using Emergency Active Travel funding - provided to help people get out and exercising as lockdown restrictions ease.

Pilot scheme runs play events to improve health of Bradford's children

Councillor Arshad Hussain (Lab, Toller) said: “We have been working tirelessly on this for about 10 years now so it is very welcome news that contractors have started work on site at the unused former allotments. It will create a play area and a community garden for local people to enjoy. There is also the astroturf pitch and the bottom field at Scotchman Road and we are moving forward with exciting plans for that site, whilst the bottom playing field is already well used by the local community as a good open space. Taken together these facilities will be a welcome benefit to the local community.”

Cllr Kamran Hussain, (Lab, Toller), said: “I’m delighted to see this progress at the former allotment site and I’m looking forward to it coming to fruition after all the hard work that’s gone in to it. Once it’s been redeveloped it promises to be a great asset for the local community. Together with other investments that are planned in the Scotchman Road area these will be excellent facilities for local people.”

Cllr Fozia Shaheen, (Lab, Toller) added: “Working with JU:MP, we have co-designed the site with 4-14 year olds in mind. We have worked very closely with the resident and their physical health and mental wellbeing has been at the forefront of our engagement, more so over the last few months. Additional funding was secured to make sure the development is inclusive benefitting local residents, young and old to enjoy for years to come. We are looking at the surrounding areas to ensure there are links between each development. There’s still more to do on other sites in the area where we are looking at the play streets project and active travel initiatives. It’s exciting to see it all coming together.”