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 - The Streets for People element is due for procurement February 2024. Changes to the design of the public toilets scheme received 29, January 2024 may necessitate significant redesigns of the market square area that have been fully designed and consulted upon with market traders and accessibility groups. This represents a significant challenge to both programme and cost.

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 Baildon 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 delivered by Canal & River Trust predominantly utilising Sustrans funding. Interventions for other active travel interventions have been scoped with a view to prioritising works.

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.