Plans to turn old Bradford school into £2.5m sports village with closed cycle circuit

Plans for a £2.5m community sports village on the site of an old school in Bradford were revealed last week, with Bradford Council working with Sport England, British Cycling and the Football Foundation on the development.

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The council has submitted plans to develop Wyke Manor School into a 140,000 square metre multi-sports facility, featuring a closed-loop cycle track and indoor sports hall.

The council's design statement said: "Being an ex-high school, the site lends itself to a sports use development, primarily aimed at the residential areas and the schools in the surrounding area.

"There is currently a health drive throughout Yorkshire and the UK as a whole, with a particular focus on cycling, field sports, swimming, and gym-based fitness.

"The scale of the new structure is such that it will stand out from its surroundings by virtue of its intended use, but will not overpower the existing local residential environment."

"The final extent of the project will depend on the levels of funding allocated by partner organisations," said Phil Barker, Bradford Council's assistant director for sport and culture.

Councillor David Warburton, (Labour, Wyke), said: "We have been looking at different funding streams, and officers are now at the point they feel we are very close to agreements that could move things forward," he said.

"We’ve had consultations with the local community, and they are very supportive.

"There are a few hopeful funders on board with this site, including the Rugby Football League, The Football Foundation, and British Cycling.

"There are very few sporting buildings or facilities in the area, so it is important to push this forward."

Councillor David Robinson (Independent, Wyke) added: "It has taken a while to get to this stage, but it will be a tremendous development.

"We already had the sports hall there, so the idea for a sports village came from there.

"It will be a real multi-purpose facility, which will be a great asset to both Wyke and Bradford South as a whole."

The application is open to public consultation until 4 March.