Work on the new plaza in front of Bradford Interchange is continuing after being delayed by bad weather.
The bus station at the Interchange reopened at the start of the month – but not all of the work was completed when it re-opened.
Although a new plaza had been created – replacing the former taxi rank and drop off point – there was no sign of the street furniture and seating area originally proposed.
And some repairs to the building’s roof had not taken place by the 5 January opening.
At a meeting of Bradford Council this week, Councillors were told that while the station is “largely operational” there remains “several elements of repair which West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) will continue to address over the coming weeks”.
Last year it was revealed that when the station re-opened, there would be a new pedestrian plaza at the front of the transport hub.
It would feature planters containing trees and plants, seating areas and ‘wayfinding’ signs directing people arriving at the station to different areas of the city.
It would be funded through the Transforming Cities Fund – a pot of cash awarded to Bradford by the Conservative Government to carry out walking and cycling improvements in the city centre.
It was expected the work to the plaza would be completed by the start of 2025 – the start of Bradford’s City of Culture year.
Although the plaza had been paved and opened up, there were no planters or seating areas.
At the meeting on Tuesday 21 January, Councillor Rebecca Poulsen, leader of the Conservative Group on Bradford Council, asked how the reopening of the Interchange had gone, and if there were any issues that still needed addressing.
The Council’s response said: “Bradford Interchange reopened to bus services as planned on January 5, albeit with services being disrupted due to the heavy snow fall which persisted for much of the following week.
“Overall the reopening went smoothly without any major operational issues. Whilst the station is now largely operational there remain several elements of repair which WYCA will continue to address over the coming weeks.”
It went on to say that a lift had broken down “on occasion” but is now fully operational.
It added: “The repairs to the ceiling of the atrium were delayed due to the icy conditions preventing access to the roof for repairs.”
Ongoing resurfacing work to the bus deck, which began before the station was shut for safety reasons in January 2024, is expected to last until April
And referring to planned art in the station and the plaza space, the response said: “Further vinyl artwork wraps are due in the internal space. These will be installed in the coming weeks overnight to avoid disruption to passengers, whilst externally the seating to the plaza area will be installed during January.”
When the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the station on Thursday some seating had been installed in the plaza.
