Lottery injects £2m to breathe new life into Bradford's battered top of town

They include projects to transform a high street in Stockport, renew historic buildings in Stockton-on-Tees and bring a Grade II listed shopping arcade in Newport back to its former glory.

Bradford, the only successful applicant from Yorkshire in this latest round, is seeking to revitalise part of its independent quarter with up to £2m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Characterised by small shops and fledgling independent businesses, the ‘Top of Town’ area features mainly 19th century buildings of high architectural quality.

Coun Alex Ross-Shaw, the executive member for regeneration, planning and transport, said the reuse of those buildings would protect links to the past and help secure their future.

“This scheme complements recent and on-going activity within Bradford city centre and promotes connectivity between key destinations,” he said. “It will help deliver regeneration and draw in investment, drive the economic development of the city centre with new job opportunities and restore civic pride in this area.”

Major projects completed in Bradford in recent years include the Broadway centre opened by retail giant Westfield and the £1.9m Sunbridge Wells scheme, an ambitious retail and leisure development in underground passageways near City Hall.

It is 50 years since the concept of conservation areas was first introduced in England, Wales and Scotland, amid widespread concern over the pace of redevelopment in historic towns and cities.

There are now more than 10,000 such areas across the UK whose historic character is protected, but hundreds are considered to be “at risk”.

HLF chief executive Ros Kerslake said: “We’ve been investing money raised through the National Lottery in the UK’s historic conservation areas for more than 20 years and we’ve seen first-hand the incredible difference it has made to local communities.

“This project in particular has the potential to have a powerful effect not only on local pride but also on local economic prosperity in Bradford.”

Bradford City Council has been given an initial development grant of £61,800 to draw up detailed plans in order to secure the full award in the next 12 months.

Its vision is to help ‘Top of Town’ become a thriving area with a vibrant day and night economy, with high quality independent shops, bars and restaurants.

A key strand of the scheme will be the re-use the upper floors of buildings in Rawson Place, Darley Street, James Street and North Parade to create offices and residential accommodation.

The funding will be enhanced with a further £250,000 from Bradford Council, with additional investment from property owners and businesses.

Jamie Khan, who owns property in the area, said: “It’s a privilege to be part of the Townscape Heritage scheme in Bradford. I recently saw at first-hand how successful this has been in Keighley and how sympathetically restored buildings can enhance the local area, bringing people back in and also bringing benefits to owners.”

The Keighley Townscape Heritage Initiative included a major restoration of a Grade II listed Victorian arcade in the town.

Completed in 2014, the £725,000 project involved extensive work to restore The Arcade’s original sash windows and marble terrazzo floor, replace the glazed canopy and turn vacant upper floor office space into apartments.