Town's conservation area to receive £1.4m upgrade

A street in a town centre conservation area will get a £1.4m upgrade that includes widened pavements and tree planting.

Cavendish Street in Keighley is one of the busiest roads in the Bradford district, and many of its surrounding buildings are listed.

This week, Bradford Council announced major changes for the street such as new parking bays, extra pedestrian crossings, street furniture and York stone pavements.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, portfolio holder for regeneration, transport and planning, said the proposals would "complement and enhance" the street's "incredible" architecture.

"Transforming Cavendish Street will have a huge impact on the way Keighley looks and feels," he said.

"We hope to really improve the centre with these works in the same way Low Street has been upgraded, to encourage increased footfall and support local businesses."

The first phase of refurbishment works will be paid for by the Keighley Towns Fund, a pot of cash awarded to the town by the previous Conservative government.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the current traffic circulation would be retained, with parking and loading organised into bays set back from the main carriageway.

Pedestrian movement would be eased by narrowing the road and installing new pelican crossings.

A statement from Bradford Council detailed that "public realm improvements" would include widening pavements and a full tree planting scheme.

Delivered by the authority's landscape design and conservation team, "high-quality street furniture" such as new benches and bins will also be installed.

Tim Rogers, chair of the Keighley Towns Fund, said the scheme would be "a significant transformative project" following previous successes such as the creation of Providence Park.

"High streets are changing in towns across the country and we want to make sure Keighley town centre is a place residents and visitors want to come and spend their time for years to come," he said.

The final designs for the scheme are likely to be finalised over the coming months with work expected to start later this year in two phases.

The second phase will cover the south side and the council is actively looking for additional funding to deliver this phase.

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