A second urban village could be created in Bradford if a £40,000 bid to English Heritage succeeds.

Bradford Council has joined with representatives of private businesses in the Sunbridge Road/Thornton Road area of the city centre to apply for the cash to breathe new life into Victorian mill buildings.

And, if it gets the go-ahead, one business leader believes the area could rival Little Germany - which is already being turned into an urban village.

The grant application is under the new Heritage Economic Regeneration (HER) scheme which replaced the former Conservation Area Partnerships.

The Goitside area takes in the Sunbridge Road/Thornton Road/Tetley Street and Grattan Road areas, where there is a concentration of Victorian industrial buildings.

Some - like Woolston House in Grattan Road - have already been successfully renovated, but others are badly in need of investment if they are to return to commercial use.

Supporters of the Goitside regeneration bid say the old textile quarter could be revamped as successfully as Little Germany.

David Scougall, a member of the fledgling Goitside Forum, which holds its inaugural meeting on Wednesday, said: "Goitside as a conservation area mirrors Little Germany on the other side of the city centre. We already have a good range of private and professional organisations based here, such as legal firms, Bradford's only department store, and the TGWU and Unison offices.

"I think it is a bigger opportunity than Little Germany, and a chance to create an urban village in the inner city. Little Germany is quite sanitised while this area is more diverse and vibrant. If the bid succeeds, we can look at environmental improvements and parking. It's quite a small amount of money but it is a start."

Councillor Dave Green, chairman of the regeneration committee, said: "This would enable us to continue our efforts to use the existing architecture in the city and bring it back into use.

"We wish to retain the Victorian architecture synonymous with Bradford, but it needs a lot spent on it to enable it to be used."

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