| .Bradford Trident Masterplan. | ||
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AREA APPRAISAL Introduction This section of the report briefly reviews the four principal areas of Bradford Trident, namely West Bowling, Marshfields, Little Horton and Broomfields. The review concentrates on areas outside of the Phase 1 Masterplan area that took in parts of Marshfields and Little Horton. West Bowling West Bowling is the largest community in the Trident area in terms of both population and land area. West Bowling forms the southeastern corner of the Trident area. The Trident boundary runs along Parkside Road to the south. The Bradford-Manchester railway line and the form of development that that has created creates a fairly clear boundary between West Bowling and Bowling to the east. The separation is less clear along Parkside Road which links West Bowling to Bowling Park, a major open space and recreation area in south Bradford. To the north of West Bowling, beyond Ripley Street, is the industrial area of Broomfield. The western side of West Bowling is marked by Manchester Road, a dual carriageway road which acts as a significant barrier between the two communities of West Bowling and Marshfields. West Bowling is largely a residential area. It has perhaps the greatest diversity of housing in the Trident area - private and public, new and old, flats and houses. Whilst the area has been and continues to be the subject of Council managed housing improvement schemes the condition of much of the private housing stock is less than satisfactory. The former Woodroyd Middle School is now vacant but the area comprises a number of major community facilities including the Dixons CTC, Newby First School, St Stephens First School, Parkside Park and Parkside Medical Centre. St Stephenís Road (east-west) and Gaythorne Road (north-south) are the main vehicular routes through the area. Gaythorne Road with its shops and Post Office is West Bowling's village street. St Stephenís Road and Gaythorne Road meet in the heart of the area and act as somewhat of a rat-run between the City Centre and the top of Manchester Road, particularly at peak times. Some traffic claming has been put in place to try and deal with this problem. Away from St Stephens Road and Gaythorne Road attempts to deal with rat-running and dangerous driving have led over the years to a number of road closures and traffic calming measures. In particular this has led to the closure of Bowling Old Lane between St Stephen's Road and the Parkside Road / Manchester Road area as a through route. The traffic calming measures have created a safer environment for the pedestrian but for the motorist the area is difficult to move around and understand. Road closures have created areas which, particularly at night, are not well used and where these are poorly lit they can feel somewhat insecure. The street lighting in some areas, and notably around St Stephenís Road to the east of Gaythorne Road is very poor, again adding to a sense of insecurity. St Stephenís Road and the pedestrian route of Bowling Old Lane are the principal routes, particularly for pedestrians, into the community from other parts of Bradford Trident and notably Manchester Road and Marshfields. St Stephen's Road is a relatively long, straight street with little activity facing onto it. After dark it is poorly lit in parts and uninviting. Bowling Old Lane, particularly near to Parkside Road and the Drove Road Estate is not an attractive pedestrian route, particularly at night. West Bowling is reasonably well serviced by a variety of opens space, notably Parkside Park and Mir Park. It is also close to Bowling Park. Aside from housing conditions the environment of West Bowling is reasonably good, although instances of vandalism and dumping do detract from the character of some areas. That said there are areas which could be improved, notably:
Marshfields Marshfields lies to the south-west of the Trident area between Manchester Road and Little Horton Lane. The community of Marshfields extends from around St Lukeís Hospital area up to more or less the top of Manchester Road. The Trident area boundary however runs along Marsh Street, to the north of the shopping parade along Manchester Road near Broadway Avenue. Again Marshfield is a predominantly residential area. Housing areas outside of the Phase 1 Masterplan area are largely private. The housing is predominantly early 20th Century with more recent inter-war and post war housing around Dorset Street. Aside from housing condition other significant uses include community and retail facilities along Little Horton Lane and the landmark Hields Mill property. Again a lot of the older housing stock is in less than satisfactory condition. The main retail centre serving the area is the parade at Manchester Road near Broadway Avenue. This parade is outside of the Bradford Trident area. The Mayfield building, just behind the parade on Manchester Road, has been identified by Bradford Trident as a potential community centre. Marshfields, outside of the Phase 1 Masterplan area, has little in the way of community facilities. The key vehicular routes in the area are Little Horton Lane and Manchester Road which both pass north-south either side of the area. Ransdale Road, just to the south of Hields Mill, is the main link between these two roads and indeed links via a traffic light junction on Manchester Road to St Stephenís Road and on to West Bowling. As a result Ransdale Road is a busy through route. Some traffic calming has been put in place to discourage through traffic. Road closures at Marsh Street and Marsh Grove prevent through traffic between Manchester Road and Thornton Lane. The topography and the nature and timing of residential development in Marshfields has created somewhat of the divide between the Ransdale Road area and the streets leading from it, such as Ramsey Street and the Burnett Avenue / Marsh Street area. Along this ëdivideí houses back on to each other and there is at times a significant difference in ground levels. There is no street that cut through this ëdivideí but there are a number of pedestrian paths. These are generally not overlooked and poorly lit and make very unattractive routes, particularly after dark. Marshfields has very little open space. The only formal play space is the very small playspace at Burnett Avenue. Other informal open spaces are on Little Horton Lane and Ransdale Road. In common with other areas of Bradford Trident housing condition is a major issue in the Marshfields area ñ particularly in the older housing. Marshfields however suffers from perhaps the poorest environment in the Trident area. This is a consequence of a number of factors, notably:
The Masterplan strategy should seek to address these issues. Little Horton Little Horton, outside of the Phase 1 Masterplan area, is the smallest community in the Trident area. The area lies close to the city centre and between the Manchester Road corridor and the University Quarter. The principal routes through the area are Little Horton Lane and Morley Street, the later forming the boundary of Bradford Trident in this area. This area is predominately residential but the grounds of Bradford College lie to the south along Little Horton Lane and the Library, Photography, Film and Television Museum and other City Centre uses are nearby. Housing condition is again a major issue. A small parade of shops lies along Little Horton Lane. Much of Little Horton is defined as a Conservation Area. In Conservation Areas development and redevelopment are restricted to those proposals which protect or enhance the character of the area. The area, particularly along Little Horton Lane and in the surrounding streets has a number of fine former residential buildings from the Victorian and Edwardian era. In some areas the original cobbled streets remain - but a number are in poor condition. The mature, historic urban fabric creates a reasonably pleasant environment. However incidences of poor road maintenance and vacancy and some inappropriate uses do detract from the quality of the area. The lack of residential parking is also a concern. The Conservation Area status of Little Horton will constrain the scope for radical change. Whilst within the area there is no open space it is close to the Phase 1 Masterplan area which comprises a number of spaces which should be within easy reach. In this area, aside from housing improvement, the priority should be to improve the street environment and improve links into the Phase 1 Masterplan area. Broomfields Broomfields is a major employment area immediately to the south of the City Centre. The area is very different from the rest of the Trident area in that it is predominately industrial. Broomfields lies in the north-eastern corner of the Trident area. Ripley Street, which serves Dixons CTC roughly marks the boundary between Broomfields and West Bowling to the south. The area has a long-standing record of being attractive to business and commercial uses. The area has been continually developed and redeveloped over the last 150 years or so. In recent years the Manchester Road corridor has proved particular attractive to car related uses. Douglas Mill, which fronts on the Manchester Road, is one of the few original mill buildings in the area. Whilst it is largely vacant it does represent a key local landmark. Closer to the City Centre the local planning authority has recently resolved to approval a planning application of food superstore at Nelson Street. As a reasonably successful, predominantly business area, Broomfields is not a key priority for action through Bradford Trident. However opportunities to create better links for the local community to the jobs and facilities in the Broomfields area, not least the proposed foodstore should be explored. Conclusions Bradford Trident is made up of four main areas ñ the communities of West Bowling, Marshfields and Little Horton and the Broomfields industrial area. Manchester Road acts as a major barrier between West Bowling and the Marshfields and Little Horton areas. The condition of the private housing stock is a major issue throughout the area. In addition to that the quality of the environment and the safety and security of pedestrian routes in the area are recurring themes in West Bowling, Marshfields and Little Horton.
© Bradford Trident 2004 |