The rescue package for Manningham Mills which has enabled the Council to advertise for tenders to make the structure watertight and sound is very good news indeed for Bradford.

The fabric of the building must have suffered greatly from the recent extremes of weather. More than two years ago there were warnings that it would not last another winter.

However, fortunately this famous Bradford landmark has managed to withstand the elements throughout the delays caused by problems over finding the funding necessary to repair the damage done by neglect and decay.

Now it seems all that has been sorted out and the necessary gap-funding has finally become available. With £4 million from Yorkshire Forward, £2 million from Bradford Council and £6 million from the developers Urban Splash, work is scheduled to start in September on the first phase of the rebirth of the remarkable premises built to house Samuel Cunliffe Lister's textile empire.

It has been a long, long haul to get this far with some people giving up hope and advocating that the building be demolished and the site used for housing. That would have been a tragic blow to Bradford's heritage.

A year on from work starting, if all goes according to plan, the damage will have been put right and the structure made sound, and work can begin on creating the apartments and offices which are the mill's future.

This second phase needs to flow on smoothly from the first. There have been far too many delays. It is important now that Manningham Mills is fully brought back to life as speedily as possible.