The Bradford Council has received a £2 million grant from the National Lottery to help owners of heritage properties in the Top of Town area breathe new life into their buildings.
The grant will also contribute to a major refurbishment of the public square where the statue of Richard Oastler locates.
Back in January 2017, the Bradford Council gained initial support for the Heritage Lottery Fund grant to fund a Townscape Heritage Scheme. Since then, they have been focusing on convincing the National Lottery that they had a clear plan for how they would utilise the full £2 million grant to regenerate the city.
The fund will enable property owners on North Parade, Rawson Place, Darley Street, Northgate, Piccadilly, Upper Piccadilly, Duke Street and James Street to access financial support to refurbish the buildings. They will also receive help from heritage experts.
The Top of Town area of Bradford boasts 37 structures on the National Heritage List for England and 47 “key unlisted buildings”. Nevertheless, a number of these buildings are vacant or underused. Some of them have even been altered beyond recognition. The funding is going to support building owners to restore original shopfronts, fix period features and bring empty space back into use. The Council is most keen to see improvements in buildings on Rawson Place.
The Bradford Council and National Lottery said in a joint release that the money would help “bring a new vibrancy to the area and make it more economically attractive.”
