Switch on.

For those who didn't or couldn't switch on.. what was it?

They have confirmed that the new stadium is going in the big hole in the middle of town. There is going to be a car park up by the M606 connected to the stadium by floating walkways. Exciting news.

Westfield want out of the proposed shopping centre development. Shocker!

So the bottom line is that Bradford Council let Westfield demolish the city centre then Westfield said they actually can't afford to redevelop it in the current climate, now they say Bradford can buy it back for £80 million!

They can buy back part of their own city? How does that work then?

[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00nkvxv/Inside_Out_Yorkshire_and_Lincolnshire_26_10_2009/Should be here soon.[/url

Unlike Westfield, ho ho ho...

Couldn't edit for some reason.

What's been said?

Is that it then, no development?

Not that it was happening anyway.

Depends who you believe.

According to the Council, Westfield are still committed to developing the site and something should be moving on it within the next two years.

According to Westfield, they are committed to proceeding with development once it is fiscally prudent to do so - in other words, maybe never.

According to Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Westfield have offered the Council the chance to buy the land back off them. The Council are denying any talks of that nature have taken place and demanding Sutcliffe reveals his sources.

The difference between the Westfield view of the future and the Council view of the future needs some explanation.

INO the Council have made an awful mess of this. The re-development should have been complete before the recession started. Now it looks increasingly like it'll never happen.

In the meantime more businesses go to the wall in town. I was at the Love Apple on Friday night a couple of weeks back, there were only 10 of us in the whole place. Pubs nearby were equally empty. In noticed Walkabout has shut. It's only a matter of time before there are only a couple of pubs left in the city centre. The place has died on its backside over the past 10 years.

I love the fact that the council have to buy part of their own city back from a private company. That just doesn't seem right.

Time for some direct action people, tear down those barricades.

How long will it be before Westfield go belly up?

Can't say it would be a big surpirse if they did as many building firms are experiencing problems right now. Personally I can't see who would want to by a big hole in the ground in Bradford, so the council could end up with it being given back to them for nothing.

Under no circumstances should the council pay £80m to buy it back. That would be absolutely stupid.

it's such a shame to see Bradford going belly up like this.

The thing is Westfield know the council have a huge wad of cash sat in bank account somewhere from the sale of a certain airport. If enough pressure is put on the council from various sources who's to say they might well stump up some of this. Was this the Westfield plan all along?

i'd be surprised if it was. I'd say Westfield's reputation will be lowered somewhat after this shambles.

I thought that had been spent/assigned to worthwhile projects such as the Odsal Sporting Village?

Got to agree, but who knows what goes on in the corridors of power when millions are at stake. We only find out about it years later after some internal audit or a councilgate body appears.

yeah, blotting the city like they have done and walking away with millions of the council's money (if it happens) should be punishable.

It doesn't seem acceptable business practice to decide when they do and don't build the shopping . Wouldn't the council have fines in place to make sure deadlines are kept to? If any were agreed that is.

I'm not an expert on how this project works but surely Westfield will have tendered for building the and should have had deadlines in place to get the building built?

As far as I know Westfield have already passed three start dates or completion not sure which, and I'm sure somebody has said the council did'nt have a penalty clause in the contracts so hey ho no one to jump on from a great height. If thats the case very poor planning on a project this size.

We got any hot shot commercial lawyers lurking about? What I want to know is why can't the Council, given the way the city appears to have been shafted so far, take the necessary steps to CPO the land? I doubt the price of land in Bradford centre would come out at £80m. They should then do what I said in the first place and resurrect the original Forster Square as a new improves (and extended) fine pedestrian square of the sort which so enhance so many superb cities across Europe.

Now that does look good, the only problem is the council would want to knock down the old PO building as an eyesore given their track record to date

So they should it blocks the Cathedral and was plonked in the wrong place, .

Bradford City Centre has been on the decline for a long time and this debarcle tippifies Bradford Counciol mismanagement for me, years behind every other city over redevelopment, too much infighting to make a decision results in the City nose diving... now Bradford has a big hole in the ground begging for redevelopment a city centre that rivals Baghdad and is just as friendly.

Im glad its not (now) my hard earned money that may be at risk due to mismanagement by the council/Westfield. cant see positives on this for a long time..

Quote Yorkshire Forward displayed a lack of confidence in the project back in 2002, when it refused to back the scheme, citing worries over its viability.'" www.accessmylibrary.com/article- ... adway.html 2002? Some mistake, surely? It's not that it was flawed from the outset, it's only failing because of the recession.

Quote Yorkshire Forward displayed a lack of confidence in the project back in 2002, when it refused to back the scheme, citing worries over its viability.'" www.accessmylibrary.com/article- ... adway.html 2002? Some mistake, surely? It's not that it was flawed from the outset, it's only failing because of the recession.

2002????????

WTF????