A succession of proposed regeneration schemes were abandoned during the recession, with sites left dormant as developers took a cautious approach amid the chill in lending from banks.

Mothballed schemes in Bradford included Citygate, at the bottom of Manchester Road; the Matrix BD1 apartment complex, off Manningham Lane; the Midland Mills conversion, near Forster Square; and the Beehive apartment scheme, off Thornton Road.

However, after a two-year period of inactivity on some sites, there are signs that developers are starting to resurrect schemes that appeared to have fallen by the wayside.

Work has restarted on several projects, planning permission has been resubmitted on others, while some schemes have been taken over by new developers.

In Manor Row, work is nearing completion on the restoration of the former county court, a derelict listed building that is being converted into 14 apartments at a cost of £1.4 million.

Investec, an international specialist banking group, pushed ahead with the scheme after the original borrower hit difficulties.

Next door, work has also restarted on a project to restore and convert York House, at the junction of Manor Row and Upper Piccadilly.

Back in 2006, developers submitted a planning application to convert the empty former police station, built in 1866 as a private club, into 25 apartments.

Despite that, the building had been left to deteriorate, until the recent appearance of scaffolding and workmen heralded a brighter future for the derelict site.

Meanwhile, it was announced in July that a landmark scheme on one of the main gateways to Bradford was back on track, two years after being cast into doubt when the original developer hit financial difficulties.

The Citygate scheme, at the bottom of Manchester Road, was mothballed in mid-2008, but now the Skelwith Group, based in York, has taken over the development, pledging to deliver 500 apartments.

More recently, it was revealed that plans for a £35 million redevelopment of a disused Bradford textile mill were back on the drawing board after the scheme stalled during the recession.

Developer JM Construction has resubmitted plans to Bradford Council to convert three original buildings at Midland Mills, near the Forster Square Retail Park, into apartments, and build two residential buildings and parking spaces.

Plans for the scheme, which will include 304 apartments and office space, were approved by the Council in September 2008 but JM Construction is seeking to change its Section 106 agreement with the Council so it will only start paying towards “affordable” housing in the city once the scheme is generating a 20 per cent profit.

Meanwhile, Northern Irish developer McGinnis has revealed that architects are in the process of drawing up revised plans that could get another mothballed regeneration project, the £65m Beehive development in Thornton Road, back on track.

McGinnis is looking to redesign the make-up of the Beehive scheme and has asked architects Brewster Bye to examine alternatives to the original plans for 517 modern apartments and 30,000 sq ft of retail and commercial space.

But for every chink of light, there has been a door that has remained firmly shut.

Regeneration chiefs have warned that, despite signs of recovery, it is too early to start getting over-excited.

Only last month, Australian retail mall developer Westfield held out no fresh hope of work on the planned £320 million Broadway shopping centre going ahead soon.

In its latest results, the company said it would continue to focus on its major project next to the Olympic site in Stratford, London, and in Sydney.

And there has been little sign of progress on schemes to redevelop the historic Conditioning House, near Forster Square, or the derelict former Odeon cinema, in the city centre.

Councillor Dave Green, Bradford Council’s executive member for regeneration, said: “What we have got is a small frisson of recovery.

“We are certainly aware that there are a lot more discussions about projects going on in and around Bradford, with some developers bringing schemes forward or restarting schemes.

“We will need to keep a close eye on it and we are not out of the woods yet.”

Coun Green said many people were awaiting the outcome of next month’s Comprehensive Spending Review before assessing other schemes that might be brought forward in the future.

He said: “It’s too early to put out the bunting but we need to continue to be proactive and to talk to potential developers and those who have already expressed an interest in Bradford to ensure they are aware of the benefits of investing in Bradford.

“There are still issues with the banks and private funding. A lot of developers I am talking to are still having problems with commercial borrowing.

“The Council is committed to doing all it can – you have just got to look at Southgate and the way we ensured that was successful.

“We are determined to do what we can to work with the private sector to allow some of these stalled schemes to get on site as soon as possible.

“A lot is going to depend on what’s happening in the commercial financial sector. It needs a push from central Government to get the banks lending.”