Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers.
Nikita Khrushchev
Whilst baffling that one of the ugliest buildings in the UK – Bradford’s Richard Dunn Centre – now has protected status, equally baffling is the lack of any real ideas as to what to do with the site should the council finally have the ability to flatten the carbuncle.
What to do with a prime site adjacent to the motorway network in the age of modern logistics and supply chains? Let’s turn it into a park and ride at the same time that city centres as retail destinations are on their uppers. Brilliant!
Sometimes, you just have to cash in your chips and the proceeds from the sale of this site would be significant; that said, what the goons would then spend the cash on is anybody’s guess. A 750-space car park miles from a struggling city centre is just bonkers.
A few days later came this story: No car park for Bradford park and ride until more cash found. Work that one out?
The reality is that this and other schemes proposed several years ago are now unviable because of rising costs. Commerciality and local authorities rarely make good bedfellows.
At the same meeting of the quango West Yorkshire Combined Authority, consider this re the demolition of one of the biggest car parks in the city centre.
Fiona Limb, Transforming Cities Lead, told the Transport Committee: “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.”
Given the place is like a ghost town already, what a great plan to make it even harder to access…unless you plan to cycle there for your shopping…like most of us do!
The last word, as ever, went to Hapless Hinchcliffe when asked where people visiting St George’s Hall would park, bearing in mind the council spent £10m on refurbing it.
Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe, who chairs the committee, said: “There is a car park directly behind St George’s Hall (the courts car park), Jacob’s Well car park, and the Broadway has over 1,000 spaces.”
What she seemingly is oblivious to is the opening of the 4,000 seater venue Bradford Live next year.
The Beautiful Game
Football has led the way in the modern era of commercialised sport to such an extent that those of us who loved, played and watched it several decades ago can barely recognise what is on offer these days.
However, life moves on and here we are sucking up to the great and good in the middle of a desert. At the time of writing England have started well, albeit Iran are hardly world football giants.
Which is great news for the hospitality industry as it faces a very uncertain winter. A shot in the arm here, pre the expected seasonal boost is almost worth turning the other cheek to the hypocrisy bandwagon as winter bites.
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