Award recognises major city centre revamp

Major work which has been carried out to transform Bradford city centre has been recognised with a prestigious award.

The city has been named UK Design Capital of the Year, fighting off competition from York, Cardiff and Plymouth, which were also shortlisted.

Norfolk Gardens, a new 2.5 acre (10,000 sq m) park, opened in the heart of Bradford in 2025, the same year the district celebrated being the UK's City of Culture, while the nearby City Park, famed for its mirror pool and fountains, opened to the public in 2012.

Andrew Judson, Bradford Council's executive member for regeneration, said it was a "huge honour" for the city centre revamp to receive national recognition.

Part of the long-running Architect of the Year Awards run by the online architecture publication Building Design, the award "looks beyond individual buildings to celebrate communities where strategic ambition is shaping their built environment", according to Bradford Council.

In their remarks, the judges said: "If you are feeling miserable, take a train to Bradford, walk into City Park, and leave feeling uplifted."

They added: "The Design Capital of the Year celebrates the role of good design in city regeneration as this is central to the quality of place and that of the lives of people who live there."

The Norfolk Gardens park scheme transformed and pedestrianised large parts of Bradford city centre, with more than 7,700 plants and shrubs, as well as 57 trees placed in the revamped space.

The new park also became home to the city centre's relocated mermaid statue, which was previously housed in the Jacobs Well roundabout subway.

Judson said: "It is a huge honour to receive national recognition for the work, though the biggest reward is seeing more people enjoying our architecturally-stunning city centre."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.