The legal agreement unlocks capital already secured through Homes England’s Brownfield, Infrastructure & Land (BIL) fund to support demolition and enabling works, which are due to start on site in the next few weeks.
The contract will see Incommunities work alongside Bradford Council and ECF (the partnership between Homes England’s National Housing Bank, L&G and nationwide placemaker, Muse) to deliver the first phase of new homes.
Phase one will deliver 97 two and three-bed townhouses across Chain Street and the northern half of the Oastler site, providing a mix of homes for shared ownership and affordable and social rent, which will be owned and managed by Incommunities.
Once completed, City Village will create up to 1,000 modern, energy-efficient homes across three sites at the ‘the top of town,’ alongside green spaces, improved public realm and will build on the area’s existing successful independent traders, introducing new opportunities for retail, leisure and business spaces.
Wakefield-based contractor, Metropolitan Demolition, will soon begin an eight-month demolition programme to remove the former Oastler Shopping Centre and clear surrounding buildings to pave the way for new homes. Works to facilitate construction of the new homes are expected to begin Winter 2027 and are due to finish by Summer 2029.
Later phases of City Village will include more than 300 apartments on the southern half of the Oastler site, alongside approximately 400 apartments at the site of the recently closed Kirkgate Shopping Centre. Demolition of the Kirkgate site is expected to begin early 2027, following a six-month programme of internal strip out works.