Bradford: Car park demolition 'supports sustainable transport'

Hall Ings car park in the centre of Bradford has now permanently closed to allow for demolition work to begin

The demolition of a Bradford multi-storey car park will support the city's ambitions to move towards a sustainable transport focus, a meeting has heard.

The council-owned Hall Ings car park has closed and will make way for a park and a new walkway as part of a project to revamp Bradford Interchange.

The interchange work, funded by more than £16m of Government money, aims to be finished in time for Bradford 2025.

Material from the demolition will be used to fill Jacob's Well roundabout.

A new entrance to the train and bus station will include a new cycle hub and taxi rank in Bridge Street, with a public consultation on the scheme closing on 29 November.

At a meeting of West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Transport Committee on Friday, Fiona Limb, Transforming Cities lead, said: "It will make improvement to the user experience of the Interchange.

"The demolition of the NCP car park is also required to support Bradford with its ambitions to move towards more sustainable transport by reducing the parking stock in the city."

The scheme to revamp Bradford Interchange is expected to be completed by the end of 2024

Members were told that releasing the funds to start this work would enable the scheme to be delivered in time for the UK City of Culture year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Conservative councillor Martyn Bolt, of the Mirfield ward, asked where people visiting St George's Hall would park once the car park is demolished.

Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchciffe, who chairs the committee, said: "There is a car park directly behind St George's Hall, Jacob's Well car park and the Broadway has over 1,000 spaces."