Bus plaza work continues after poor weather delay

Work on a new pedestrian plaza at a city centre bus station was under way again after being delayed due to recent poor weather, councillors have been told.

The plaza at Bradford Interchange - replacing the former taxi rank and drop-off point - had opened as planned, but it still needed some furniture, a council meeting heard.

Meanwhile, some repairs to the interchange had been delayed due to icy conditions and had not taken place by the time of the building's reopening earlier this month following a year of closure.

However, councillors were told that while a lift at the bus station had also broken down "on occasion", it was now fully operational and the reopening had "overall" gone smoothly.

Bus services returned to Bradford Interchange on 5 January, exactly a year after it was closed due to structural problems.

Last year it was revealed that the proposed pedestrian plaza at the site would feature planters containing trees and plants, seating areas and "wayfinding" signs directing people to different areas of the city.

It was expected the work to the plaza would be completed by the start of this year – the beginning of Bradford's year as City of Culture, but the meeting was told that although the plaza had been paved and opened up, there were still no planters or seating areas.

A spokesperson told the Bradford Council meeting held earlier this week that seating for the plaza area would be installed "during January".

When the Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the bus station on Thursday, some seating had been installed at the plaza.

The meeting also heard that while the bus station was "now largely operational", there remained "several elements of repair which West Yorkshire Combined Authority will continue to address over the coming weeks".

Repairs to the ceiling of the atrium had been "delayed due to the icy conditions preventing access to the roof", councillors were told.

Ongoing resurfacing work to the bus deck, which began before the bus station was shut for safety reasons in January last year, was expected to last until April.

The council also said planned art in the station and plaza would be installed "in the coming weeks", with work taking place during the night to avoid disruption.

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