THERE is still no start date for work to demolish one of Bradford city centre's biggest car parks.

The NCP multi-storey car park on Hall Ings is due to be flattened as part of plans to create a new entrance to Bradford Interchange.

It will go hand in hand with a seperate scheme to pedestrianise the stretch of Hall Ings in front of the car park.

The £13.2m project, funded through the Government's Transforming Cities Fund, was announced in 2020 and originally had a completion date of March 2023.

However, subsequent reports on the scheme have shown this work would be delayed, with the most recent update earlier this year revealing the Interchange entrance project was not likely to be completed until April 2024.

At a recent meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Bradford Sub Committee in March, officers gave a presentation to members that seemed to show that the first phase of the Interchange work could start as early as this November.

But when asked if this was still the case, Bradford Council told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that a start date, or estimate of how long the work would take, had not yet been finalised.

The Transforming Cities Fund is a £80m package of infrastructure projects in Bradford city centre - awarded as part of the West Yorkshire Devolution deal.

The Interchange work would include the demolition of the NCP car park to create a new pedestrian entrance to the station.

A tree lined walkway would be created to link Hall Ings to Bridge Street and the Interchange.

The taxi rank and other sections of the station would also be demolished and re-built, and a new Bridge Street entrance would include space for shops.

Although the existing NCP will be demolished, other buildings next to the site - The Queen pub, Buzz Bingo, Bradford Hotel and Azuma Restaurant, will be retained.

Bradford Council purchased the NCP in 2017 for £4.15m, saying the site was part of long term plans to improve the Interchange.

Another Transforming Cities Fund project - the pedestrianisation of Hall Ings, Market Street and the Jacobs Well area, is expected to cost £30m.

Asked about the start date of the NCP demolition and work to the Interchange entrance, a Bradford Council spokesperson, said: “The demolition of the NCP car park on Hall Ings is part of current proposals to transform Bradford Interchange.

"The start date and duration of the works hasn’t yet been finalised.

"We are working on this with West Yorkshire Combined Authority and will let everyone know as soon as they are agreed.”