Bradford city centre regeneration: a model for wellbeing-first placemaking

Making Bradford more ‘liveable, walkable, and vibrant’

Bradford’s ambitious city centre improvement scheme – a flagship programme within the Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) investment secured as part of the West Yorkshire devolution deal – is set to reshape and reinvigorate the area by 2028, with Sweco UK playing a pivotal role in an exciting transformation which will foster inclusive growth, reduce inequality, lower carbon emissions, and promote healthy communities. Ultimately, Bradford’s regeneration will act as a model for modern urban living within the wider green transition, and paves the way for a brighter, more sustainable future.

Sweco’s expertise in urban development and sustainable design will help enhance connectivity and infrastructure, encouraging walking, cycling, and bus travel as the preferred options for local journeys. These improvements will elevate the quality of life for residents while attracting visitors and businesses alike. Collaborating closely with local stakeholders, Sweco’s cross-disciplinary teams are working closely with the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Balfour Beatty to create a thriving urban environment where people can live, work, learn, and enjoy all that Bradford has to offer.

The vision

1. Enhanced Accessibility: Improving access for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transport users within the city centre.
2. Attracting People and Businesses: Creating a destination that draws in visitors and commerce, fostering economic vitality.
3. Reducing Motor Traffic: Reallocating space to develop green areas and improve public realms, expanding upon the existing City Park and pedestrianised core.
4. Supporting Urban Growth: Facilitating housing growth in the city centre by creating a vibrant urban core with essential amenities and green spaces.
5. Integrated Network Development: Ensuring that the new initiatives complement existing projects within the Bradford TCF programme.

Our role

Supporting Balfour Beatty’s programme of construction works, Sweco continues to play a pivotal role in Bradford’s emerging transformation, leading the production of the Outline and Full Business Cases with thorough optioneering, preliminary design, traffic modelling, and environmental assessments.

The overall focus is on delivering active travel and sustainable mobility solutions, including the creation of vibrant public realms and efficient bus routes through a new high-quality corridor. Our transport planning, highways, landscape architecture and environmental consultancy teams have been able to draw on vast placemaking experience – as well as innovative design insights from our Nordic colleagues – to provide ‘360-degree’ solutions which work in harmony with each other to unlock value across various touchpoints across the city.

The Bradford Regeneration Masterplan – Sweco’s teams are playing a key role across transport planning, walking & cycling infrastructure, environmental assessments and public realm landscape architecture

Following the approval of the Outline Business Case, our teams were instrumental in producing the Full Business Case, conducting detailed designs, and navigating the statutory processes. The scheme is currently being constructed, with Sweco providing essential site supervision services.

Over the past 18 months, the city centre has undergone a major transformation to enhance pedestrian access, public transport, and cycling routes. As work continues a number of exciting changes will come to fruition. For example, to enhance the overall experience in the city centre buses will be rerouted around the area, with new bus hubs established at key locations to improve service reliability.

Large sections of the city centre, including major roads like Hall Ings, will be pedestrianised, creating a more enjoyable environment for visitors while still allowing for limited vehicle access for deliveries. Additionally, new cycle routes are being developed to make travel on foot and by bike safer and more convenient. The introduction of new planting and landscaping will further enhance the town centre, making it a more pleasant place to spend time.

Our key contributions

• Preliminary scoping & design: Geometric, kerbs, footways and cycleways, junction design, bus infrastructure, signal design, carriageway, drainage, SUDS, public realm, street lighting, landscaping.
• Successful Submission of OBC & FBC: Clear pathways were established for project approval for the OBC & FBC, with our experts guiding all stakeholders through the governance involved.
• Quality Public Realm Design: Enhancing the aesthetic and functional aspects of the city centre.
• Introduction of a Linear Park: Increasing green spaces within the urban environment.
• Highway Interventions: Improving junctions and corridors while considering the logistics of live traffic.
• Traffic Modelling: Assessing the impact of pedestrianisation and ensuring efficient bus routes.
• Green Infrastructure: Boosting townscape and biodiversity through thoughtful planning.
• Comprehensive Environmental Assessments: Addressing air quality, noise, cultural heritage, and biodiversity concerns.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Involving the public and stakeholders through consultations and visualisations.

Regeneration highlights

1. Cycleways: dedicated bike routes enhance safety and convenience for cyclists in this urban area. They aim to minimise conflicts with cars and pedestrians, connecting with existing routes and allowing for future cycle super highways, creating a network linking cities for safer journeys.
2. Super crossing: a wide, safe and direct route, replacing subways. The island allows a ‘straight ahead’ movement for users to cross in both directions without deviation. Older pedestrian crossings tend to be narrow, complicating passage for people going in opposite directions and trapping pedestrians with barriers.
3. Spine route: a central mobility artery connecting key areas of the city centre, improving travel efficiency. Designed for high visitor volumes, it offers safe, accessible paths for pedestrians and segregated cycleways to alleviate congestion.
4. Bus hubs: consolidating bus stops in the city centre helps users navigate the network more easily. The hubs will also feature enhanced facilities like real-time service information, seating and shelters, improving the waiting experience.
5. Soft landscaping: enhances outdoor spaces with plants, trees, and grass rather than concrete. This approach fosters a pleasant environment, absorbs noise, improves air quality and supports local biodiversity.
6. Pocket parks: small green spaces transform unused lots into inviting areas with trees, benches, and landscaping. They offer residents and visitors a place to relax, enhancing wellbeing and the ambience of the city centre.
7. SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems): green infrastructure manages rainwater with rain gardens and permeable surfaces. They prevent flooding while adding greenery to urban areas, making Bradford more resilient and enjoyable.
8. Pedestrian plazas: replacing busy traffic junctions, these open spaces are designed for walking and socializing. Featuring benches, trees, and attractive paving, they improve safety, remove traffic from central streets, and create a vibrant atmosphere that boosts local business.
9. Hostile vehicle mitigation: barriers, including natural elements like trees and strategically placed planters, protect pedestrians from vehicles while enhancing safety. This method combines functionality with landscaping, making public spaces more secure and attractive.
10. Heritage: antique tram tracks have been re-laid in a city centre street, adding visual interest in the vibrant pedestrianised plaza, encouraging people to appreciate the historic surroundings of the city centre.

Sweco project highlights

1. 12,000m2 new green space
2. 24% Biodiversity Net Gain achieved
3. 2.4km of cycle lanes
4. c.1km new bus lanes
5. New gateway from Bradford Interchange to city centre
6. New public park in Bradford centre
7. 1.6km of streets closed to traffic
8. 9 new pedestrian crossings
9. 7 junction improvements
10. Pedestrian areas increased by 80%
11. New super crossing to replace existing subway
12. New street spaces for events, pop-ups and outdoor dining
13. New wayfinding signs and artwork
14. 33 Sheffield-style cycle stands
15. 31,500m2 new or improved public realm

The outcome

By enhancing connectivity across the city centre, we aim to make it a more appealing destination for pedestrians and cyclists alike. This initiative will serve as a platform for economic growth, opening up new spaces, attracting businesses, and increasing footfall.

For local citizens and visitors the benefits are profound: a safer, more accessible city centre with ample green spaces, reduced air and noise pollution, and high-quality public transport infrastructure. The key, most noticeable transformations will include:

• Traffic-free zones will enhance accessibility in shopping and entertainment areas, which have been challenging to navigate due to heavy traffic on Market Street and Bridge Street and Hall Ings.
• Cycle infrastructure – providing high-quality, segregated cycle infrastructure through the heart of the city centre that joins up existing cycle routes.
• New public areas will host events and pavement cafes, fostering a more vibrant atmosphere in the city centre.
• High-quality paving, greenery, street trees and benches will be integrated into the public spaces, encouraging relaxation and social interaction.
• Attractive landscaped green spaces will feature Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) to manage rainwater, mitigate flooding, combat climate change and enhance biodiversity.

A model for modernisation: driving the green transition

Environmental sustainability is in Bradford regeneration’s DNA. The introduction of 12,000m² of new soft landscaping and green spaces, including a linear park and hundreds of new trees, will seek to achieve a biodiversity net gain of approximately 24%.

Bigger picture, the transformation of Bradford city centre represents a vision for a brighter, more sustainable future. With a focus on accessibility, environmental responsibility and community engagement, we are proud to be  Transforming society together with Balfour Beatty, the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority and other major TCF stakeholders as we help to shape a city that thrives on inclusivity and connection.

Supporting Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture

We’re extremely proud to be official ‘Champion’ sponsors for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, as we play a key role across multiple engineering, planning, design and environmental consultancy skills hubs at Sweco. Joining forces with Balfour Beatty plc, our work will create a safer and more accessible city centre, open up more green space to reduce air and noise population, and introduce high quality bus and active travel infrastructure for increased connectivity.

The exciting vision for multi-faceted regeneration over coming years has played a key part in Bradford’s successful bid to be named as the UK’s City of Culture for 2025, and we look forward to bringing this vision to life as changes are unveiled in 2025 and beyond.