An ongoing programme of arts, cultural and community events is planned for the Bradford Urban Garden on the city centre's Westfield site.

Arts development agency Fabric is co-ordinating events organised by Bradford arts organisations, set to include live music, theatre performances and film screenings.

Fabric has been working with Bradford Council, Westfield and Yorkshire Forward on planning events for the £300,000 Urban Garden scheme.

"The challenge now is doing something with this space," said Fabric director Gideon Seymour. "The idea is to animate the open space and get people using it. It's going to be very much a 'people's space', whether you're crossing the site on a pathway, relaxing on a bench or making use of the site in a creative way.

"The arts organisations involved include Kala Sangam, Artworks, Bradford Playhouse and individual artists, and we're talking to Bradford schools about creating artwork for the green hoardings. Hopefully this will encourage them to come along with their families."

He added: "We're also appealing for ideas from the public. We're in the process of setting up an advisory group, which will look at proposals. Once the site is licensed for live music we'll be encouraging people to do informal things there, such as busking."

Bradford Playhouse plans to run an 'Art Farm' on the site. "We're 'colonising' the area nearest to the Playhouse. It's a positive way of making a connection between the city centre and Little Germany," said director Eleanor Barrett. "At the Playhouse we've felt cut off from town; the hoardings have literally been a barrier stopping people from coming into Little Germany. There are lots of people in Bradford, particularly students, who would love what we're doing at the Playhouse but never go down to that end of town.

"Once the hoardings come down it will be a more open, pleasant site, encouraging people to venture forward."

The 'Art Farm' is an arts collective based at the Playhouse. "Art Farm is a metaophor for the different things that will be happening on one site," said Eleanor. "There are various groups of people - including experienced artists and people who are learning - playing an active role in creating arts and getting involved with the theatre. It's all about rolling up your sleeves and getting on with it. Someone came up with the name 'art cultivators' and this became 'art farmers'.

"It's an organic development of what's been happening at the Playhouse."