A pioneering scheme to transform part of the city centre with a striking mixed-use development surrounding a canal basin has been given the green light.
The showpiece £350m Channel development near Forster Square was today given outline planning approval by Bradford Council and backed by Bradford Centre Regeneration.
Consent, which has to be confirmed by the Government, means Bradford Channel Limited can get its ambitious plans off the drawing board in what is expected to be a 10-year staged build.
The development is at the heart of the so-called Channel neighbourhood - one of four districts set out within the Will Alsop Masterplan - and looks set to be the first delivered.
The landmark scheme, designed by Bradford-based Robinson Design Group, features two towers of 16 and 24 storeys as well as a covered winter garden with café bars and exhibition areas.
A canal basin will reintroduce water into the city centre and forms a focal point for the development.
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Harold Robinson, a Bradford Channel Ltd director, said: "We are absolutely delighted that the Council has resolved to grant planning consent and that we can get on with the job of building part of the future of Bradford.
"The city will undergo tremendous change in the next few years and we are proud and excited to be at the forefront of that.
"Our aim is to create a living, breathing urban village where real people can make a home, earn a living and have fun as part of a modern sustainable community designed for the 21st century."
BCL is fronted by Magellan Properties. The scheme includes 1,800 homes, 4,700 sq metres of retail space, 3,800 sq metres of restaurant and cafe space, 17,200 sq metres of office space, a 100 to 150 bed hotel, 2,000 sq metres of health and leisure space with 1,800 car parking spaces and a linear park.
Bradford Council's head of regeneration, Councillor Andrew Mallinson, said: "The Channel is one of the most exciting schemes to be proposed for Bradford and is really creating a buzz in the district among residents and businesses alike. This is further evidence of some of the fantastic regeneration taking place in the city and really complements the other projects that are taking off here at the moment and those planned for the future."
Maud Marshall, chief executive of BCR, said: "The progress of the development is really positive and all parties have worked incredibly hard to develop a design that is right for the city and will ensure that the Channel urban village will play a significant part in Bradford's renaissance."
The plans have changed since they were first submitted 18 months ago.
The long-running talks between BCL and the Council's planning department ended in stalemate last July with a dispute over the height of the two towers. An independent adviser was brought in to broker an agreement and the height of the towers was reduced to 16 and 24 storeys - although that is not as low as Council planners originally wanted.
Despite the reduction, 24 floors will still be the tallest building in the city, although plans have recently been submitted by Asquith Properties for a 38-storey tower off Manchester Road.
