Culture at the heart of future regeneration of Bradford
12.02.26 4 min read
In Bradford, the legacy of UK City of Culture is now shaping the city’s next chapter.
James Dinsley, Development Manager at Muse and ECF, is part of the team bringing forward City Village, a new city centre neighbourhood in Bradford.
How UK City of Culture is shaping Bradford’s future
After a year that placed Bradford firmly in the national spotlight, attention now turns to how that cultural momentum is translated into long-term regeneration for the city.
Bradford’s year as UK City of Culture has sparked a wave of positivity that will extend well beyond the year itself and against that backdrop we have been progressing plans for the first phase of Bradford City Village, a new city centre neighbourhood.
It was a year that delivered for the city, with more than three million people in audiences, 5,000 events and 87,000 people taking part.
Bradford 2025 - City of Culture opening event © Ian Hodgson
Culture-led regeneration in Bradford city centre
This has revitalised the city and while the new City Village neighbourhood will create 1,000 new homes, it will also bring new opportunities for revitalised independent shops, cafes, bars and spaces for businesses that have been boosted by the year-long celebration of culture.
The City of Culture programme has already led to investment with new venues including Bradford Live and Loading Bay have opened their doors and existing cultural buildings welcoming capital investment to support their future.
The programme has helped to bring national attention to Bradford all adding to the sense of pride.
City Village, Bradford
Creating a lasting legacy beyond the City of Culture year
The UK City of Culture programme was never meant to stand alone, it’s designed to leave a legacy and City Village can play a leading role in that.
City Village is a partnership between ECF and Bradford City Council, with support from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, championed by Mayor Tracy Brabin and is part of the next phase of regeneration in the city centre.
Delivering long-term regeneration through partnership
ECF is a partnership between Muse, Homes England and L&G, three of the most trusted names in the industry. It allows us to bring forward projects that not only create new homes, but bring about lasting regeneration in places that need it.
City Village is the epitome of this and the ongoing physical regeneration that we will see here over the next decade can build on the success of City of Culture and be part of the legacy.
New homes, green spaces and sustainable city living
Submitting plans for the first phase of Bradford City Village, which has already secured major inward investment – including up to £13.2 million of funding in-principle from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and £30 million of Government funding via Homes England, was an important landmark.
If planning permission is granted, we will see the first signs of work on-site later this year when the demolition of the Oastler Centre gets underway andthe start of phase one on site in 2026.
Phase one will include 33 townhouses created on Chain Street and another 64 homes on the northern Oastler site. Crucially, the new neighbourhood will provide much needed affordable homes and will include considerable green spaces for the wider community to enjoy.
On top of that, infrastructure projects from safer roads through to landscaped public spaces and active travel routes, will be part of this initial phase and will be very strong indicators of what’s to come.
A new vision for a sustainable Bradford city centre neighbourhood
The overall vision for City Village is to create a green, healthy, sustainable and community-friendly city centre neighbourhood. That’s why it has been named as one of seven ‘game-changer’ projects for Bradford Council in its ten-year growth plan ‘Built Different: Bradford 2025-2035’.
And, just like Bradford’s UK City of Culture year, people and communities will be at the heart of its success, with all the lasting benefits of Bradford 2025 sitting right on the doorstep of City Village, allowing the spirit of this amazing year to live on.