Permission granted for new Bradford music venue

Friday, 8 March 2019 07:00

Planning permission for the refurbishment of Bradford’s former Odeon cinema to create a new 4000 capacity live entertainment and events venue has been approved.

The application has been granted to developers Bradford Live, a not-for-profit distribution social enterprise led by local business people.

The project received a £357,500 investment from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP), delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Consent has previously been granted to facilitate demolition work which is currently underway, to remove the 1960’s additions to the building. This initial work has uncovered original decoration from the building’s birth in the 1930s, which, where possible, will be stabilised and protected.

Birmingham based NEC Group will bring their live event expertise to Bradford as the venue operator. The group has made a 30-year commitment to bring music, comedy, family entertainment and many other live events to the region, with plans for over 200 events annually.

Lee Craven, founding Director of Bradford Live said, “We are delighted that we can now start the work to give Bradford back a fantastic entertainment venue. It is a tremendous asset to have on board the expertise of the NEC Group on board. Together we will create a world class live event space overlooking City Park for the first time in many years.

“We thank the council and the people of Bradford for their unwavering support in getting us to this stage and all our financial backers, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Local Enterprise Partnership and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. We’re planning to open our doors in the Autumn of 2020 and are now looking forward to the excitement of opening night and beyond.”

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