The owner of a successful prestige hairdressing salon is quitting the city centre because he says people are put off coming into Bradford due to a lack of progress with regeneration plans.

But Bradford's regeneration chief Coun Andrew Mallinson says plans for the Broadway shopping mall to be completed in 2010 were on track and millions of pounds had been invested in groundworks that are now under way.

Alan Williamson, 34, has owned the Toni & Guy salon in Ivegate for six years. He has put the premises up for sale and is planning to relocate to the Aire Valley area which he believes will be more attractive to his clients.

Mr Williamson, who also owns a salon in Huddersfield, says he is fed up of waiting for the regeneration of the city centre to go ahead.

He said: "I am looking to relocate the salon once I have sold the Ivegate premises. My clients have few reasons to come into Bradford. In fact, the whole city lacks enough lifestyle attractions such as decent restaurants and shops."

Mr Williamson said he had registered an interest in taking a unit in the new Broadway mall but the lack of progress was frustrating.

He said: "I registered two or three years ago but have heard nothing back. I have decided that Bradford offers little attraction and that my business would be better placed in another location such as Saltaire or Bingley.

"We are a successful business and profits from the Bradford salon enabled us to buy the Huddersfield franchise outright. But it is frustrating waiting to see things happen in the city centre."

T&A reader Claire McMahon, of Bingley, said Toni & Guy was one of the only reasons she visits Bradford city centre. She said: "I am very sad to see yet another company is leaving the city centre. One of the only reasons I came into the city centre was to get my hair cut.

"With yet another company leaving, who's to blame? The Council or Bradford Regeneration?"

Coun Mallinson, Bradford Council's executive member for regeneration, said the Broadway developer, Westfield, was now dealing with registration requests for smaller units in the planned mall.

He said: "We have put in place much residential development that will get people back living in the city centre. The Council also regularly organises city centre events to boost numbers."