B - Town Centre and Infrastructure Improvements

Above: work now completed on the Victoria Park access improvements.

Above: additional real time bus information now being installed at stops around Shipley.

Value

£5.04m

Purpose

The significant enhancement of public realm and connectivity within Shipley town centre.

Scheme descriptions

Scheme name	Scheme description
Market Square – Streets for People	Public realm project for the existing Shipley Market Square that will improve air quality and safety, reduce traffic speeds, improve public transport accessibility, support walking and cycling, provide greener streets and create more pleasant places to stop, spend time and relax.
Public Toilets	Provision of much needed town centre public toilets to be managed and maintained by Shipley Town Council.
Canal Road Corridor – Naturalising Bradford Beck	A redesign of Bradford Beck to reduce flooding on the key road corridor connecting Shipley to Bradford, whilst also creating a new park with enhanced amenity and wildlife value. The design will involve removing an 80m long concrete culvert, re-naturalizing the flow of Bradford Beck. Towns Fund resources will be used to reinforce the routes from the de-culverting site to Shipley town centre.
Active Travel to better connect Shipley to surrounding areas and Saltaire	Deliver improved active travel routes to link the Market Square project to the railway station, as well as Shipley town centre to Saltaire (along the towpath) and surrounding neighbourhoods.

Position up to February 2024

Shipley Market Square - Some tree removals (end of life / damaged trees or those in the way of redevelopment) have begun, but the final design ensures an overall increase in tree numbers and biodiversity. The Streets for People procurement started in February 2024 with the paving materials. Changes to the design of the public toilets scheme received necessitated a brief pause in progress to consider if significant design changes may be required. This has been resolved and the main contractor works will go out to tender mid March 2024. Phasing of the works is included in the structure of the tender, but will be finalised once a contractor is appointed. Communication strategy will split to include wider public news stories, but also targeted stakeholder (particularly local traders) messaging on programme / progress.

Canal Road Corridor The project to de-culvert a section of Bradford Beck, which brought £3.4m of match funding to Shipley Towns Fund has lost its European Structural & Investment Funding. Bradford Council still has ambitions to complete Naturalising Bradford Beck, but no timescales for delivery have been agreed.

Active Travel - The project is in concept design stage, except interventions in Wrose and Shipley which are being procured and delivered by the Highways Maintenance (North) Team.

Victoria Park (footway improvements on a route to school) is complete.

West Royd Avenue (reconstructed footway) in progress.

Wrose Brow Road (footway improvements on a route to school) in progress.

The Canal Towpath - is being delivery by Canal & River Trust predominantly utilising Sustrans funding have started on site. Co-ordination with planned events such as World Heritage Day on the 27 April are in hand.

Real Time Bus Information - 7 sites completed by WYCA.

Public Toilets - (managed and delivered by Shipley Town Council) is in the detailed design stage. Separate plans are being prepared for an extension (managed by Bradford Council) for the storage of Markets materials. A project management resource from Bradford Council is being made available to Shipley Town Council to assist this overall project. Recent significant design changes are a major co-ordination concern.

Project sponsor

Bradford Council

Further information

For further information on this project contact Ravinder.Panesar@bradford.gov.uk.