Bradford Civic Society leads calls for Odeon funding boost

August 9, 2017
August 9, 2017 Bradford Civic Society

Bradford Civic Society leads calls for Odeon funding boost

Bradford Civic Society is leading a high-profile campaign to secure a multi-million pound funding boost for one of the city’s biggest regeneration sites.

The campaign is in response to the announcement of the government’s new Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund – which is designed to provide a legacy for next year’s Great Exhibition of the North.

As part of the fund, three or four large cultural regeneration projects across the North – including the renovation of live music venues – could benefit from capital grants of up to £4million.

Bradford Civic Society’s petition, calls for the Leeds City Region [who are one of only 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships invited to bid for cash] to put forward the project to turn the Odeon back into a live venue.

The petition has attracted well over 1,500 signatures in just over three days, and has wide-spread support on social media.

Speaking to the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, Bradford Civic Society Chair Si Cunningham said, “We are asking the LEP to put Bradford first when considering bids for this funding. We have lots happening in Bradford but there needs to be a big thing, a quite symbolic project that shows people there’s a reason to come back into the city – as has happened with other culture-led regeneration projects in nearby Wakefield and Halifax. I have never known a project in Bradford have so much universal support from all sections of the community, yet still struggle to get off the ground.”

Bids for funding will be considered later in the year, meanwhile Bradford Civic Society will continue to lobby for the redevelopment of the Odeon site as a cultural attraction for the city and wider region.

Please sign and share the petition here.

Source and image: Bradford Telegraph and Argus, 9 August 2017