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'Pedestrianisation means more people walking - that means more money'

Charles Heslett
BBC, Yorkshire•@CharlesHeslett
BBC Metal bike security hoops sticking up from a pavement in a long pedestrianised street leading to an ornate 19th century city hall tower in the distance. BBC
Market Street is one of the main pedestrianised routes running through Bradford city centre

Was it all worth it? That's what Bradford business owners are asking themselves as a £45m scheme to pedestrianise the city centre comes to an end. The project has been behind schedule and caused months of disruption. The BBC spoke to those most affected by the changes.

A man with dark hair, a goatee and wearing a grey zip-up top in a striped out room with high ceiling and three large, arched windows.
Richard Cullen from Bradford-based Tiffin Venue Management which is about to turn a former city centre bank into a 200-seater cafe

Residents and businesses became used to noise, dust and diversions during work to improve access during the City of Culture year.

Although the majority of improvements have now been completed, Bradford Council said some parts of the centre remained unfinished, including the extension of the Norfolk Gardens park.

Richard Cullen's company, Tiffin Venue Management, is currently converting the former NatWest bank in Hustlegate, which closed in 2017, into a 200-seater cafe.

Mr Cullen said: "A lot of people weren't coming into the city centre any more.

"The bus routes were the biggest part because people didn't have access straight into the city centre.

"Obviously now that the pedestrianisation is almost finished we are seeing more and more people coming back into the city centre and things are picking back up again.

"We're hoping that City of Culture does a lot for us as well and actually brings even more people back into the city centre."

A woman with long, dark brown hair standing next to a hairdressers' sign.
Heidi Grey has worked at Mario's Hairdressing in Market Street for 25 years

Heidi Grey works at Mario's Hairdressers, which was established in 1952 and is based on Market Street, one of the busiest roads to be pedestrianised.

She has been with the family-run business for 25 years and is unimpressed with the closure of what was once a road full of cars and buses.

Ms Grey said: "To be fair I don't get why we need plants and benches because they're just going to be full of rubbish.

"I think they need to put up some pop-up shops or fill the empty buildings around to draw people in.

"I think the council should should've spent money on the shops instead of trees and plants."

She said passing trade had been badly affected by the roadworks.

Ms Grey added: "It's still quite quiet with the passing trade.

"Hopefully once people are used to it and know the bus routes they'll come back into the centre."

A man with grey goatee wearing a grey and blue jacket standing outside a shop front.
Ibrahim Eryatmaz has just opened his furniture shop on the one of the main pedestrianised streets in the city centre

Ibrahim Eryatmaz has just opened his shop, Benim Furniture, on Market Street.

He said much cheaper rent and help with business rates by Bradford Council had attracted him to the city.

Mr Eryatmaz said: "I think Bradford Council has spent a lot of money on improving the streets.

"And also I believe that Bradford will be better this year and next year and the pedestrianised area is really going to help business.

"I knew this street before, it looks better now.

"You have more people walking about and people for me, from a business side, means money."

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A granite-edge flower bed in the middle of a pavement with office buildings in the background.
Flowerbeds now sit on newly-laid pavements where traffic once flowed on market Street
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