August 1999

Hidden squalor behind "heritage" housing (August 24)

In the shadow of the moon (August 14)

Bradford Centre to be rebuilt (August 5)

Hidden squalor behind "heritage" housing

Elderly council tenants are living in "Dickensian conditions" behind a facade of Victorian grandeur in the popular tourist village of Saltaire.

The tenants, mostly elderly and infirm, are living in the former Alms houses, now owned and let by Bradford Council. Local Labour MP Chris Leslie has spearheaded a campaign to have Saltaire granted "World Heritage" status, alongside the likes of the Taj Mahal.

But local Tory councillor John Carroll has attacked the conditions as "unacceptable" after it emerged the ceiling collapsed on one 94 year old as she lay in bed.

The houses were built in 1868 to service Titus Salts' Mill village, which he had constructed when he moved from Bradford to escape troublesome Irish immigrant workers.

A spokesman for the Council told the local T&A "We are hoping to install central heating, replace all doors and upgrade all windows when funds become available."

See How Bradford Council sells the Alms Houses

In the shadow of the moon

The last Total eclipse seen from this land crossed Yorkshire, touching the small market town of Settle in 1927. The eclipse of August 11, 1999, was seen from Yorkshire as only a 90% eclipse - interesting, but not spectacular.

Amidst the hype and the threat of "anarchist invasions", KDIS decided to despatch it's most hard bitten and cynical hacks to the coast of Devon to witness the event.

"By 10.30am it was clear to us all that there was no chance of the clouds dispersing, despite the best efforts of a group of cider drinking sun worshippers determined to literally drum up the sun. The more spiritual amongst us Ommmmed, the drummers drummed and the rest of us just grumbled. We were going to miss it."

So what was it really like?

Full story: In the shadow of the moon.

See also the BBC Eclipse web-site.

Bradford Centre to be rebuilt

Much of the centre of Bradford is to be rebuilt in an attempt to remove the legacy of ugly 1960's buildings.

The whole area around Forster Square and Petergate will be demolished, with the road link along Petergate disappearing to provide access by foot to Little Germany. The road from Forster Square up Churchbank will be open to bus and cycles only. Cheapside will be closed and an alternative road built further north. In effect traffic will be excluded from this part of the city. The area will be rebuilt to provide a massive £200 million retail and leisure centre called "The Broadway Centre".

Councillor Dave Green, Chair of Regeneration Committee said:
"The development of this site holds the key to transforming the city centre's retail offer. It brings the prospect of hundreds of local jobs during construction and on completion.

"Much of this part of the city centre is an eyesore and this partnership development opportunity seeks to transform the area."

Also to go is Provincial House, opposite City Hall, to be replaced by a hotel. This scheme is being put forward by the same developers who are planning to build a multiplex cinema, hotel and leisure complex at Vicar Lane, which will link in to the Forster Square development.

And an ugly sixties office block on Bridge Street, facing into Centenary Square, will be revamped as yet another hotel. Quite where the demand for so many hotels and cinemas is to come from is as yet unclear.

This is the biggest redevelopment of Bradford since the sixties, which turned into a disaster for the city. Much of that development boom was mired in corruption, and eventually saw the Councils city architect William Brown jailed, along with former Labour leader Eddie Newby and others.

And warning signals over the designs - which include much glass and aluminium cladding - have already been raised. Lib Dem leader Jeanette Sunderland said "I don't want to see any more buildings looking like aircraft hangers."

See a plan of the Bradford Central development area

See also KDIS Special on John Poulson and the sixties corrupt development era.

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