Shipley  Ward  

Shipley  is  a  town  situated  in  the  Aire  Valley,  West  Yorkshire.  It  falls  within  Bradford  Metropolitan  District  and  the  Leeds  City  Region.    

Shipley  developed  on  a  major  rail,  waterway  and  road  junction  linking  Bradford  to  Leeds  and  a  number  of  settlements  leading  into  the  Yorkshire  Dales.  The  town  has  a  population  of  around  28,000  people,  about  half  of  which  live  within  a  single  ward  boundary  (Shipley).  While  Shipley's  town  council  was  dissolved  1974  and  the  town  was  absorbed  into  an  enlarged  Bradford  local  authority  area,  it  maintains  a  strong  sense  of  local  identity  as  a  town.  

Notable  features  of  the  town  include  plentiful  high  quality  Victorian  housing  stock,  juxtaposed  against  a  1960s  "brutalist"  town  centre  and  clock  tower.  Shipley  largely  developed  in  the  19th  and  early  20th  Century,  but  saw  a  major  period  of  redevelopment  in  the  mid-­‐Twentieth  Century,  with  substantial  slum  clearances  producing  a  very  high  proportion  of  social  housing.    This  new,  generally  good  quality  social  housing  was  built  in  small  clusters  around  the  town  and  is  a  feature  of  most  neighbourhoods.  

Popular  local  amenities  include  the  world  heritage  site  of  Saltaire  Village  and  Mill,  the  River  Aire  and  canal,  Northcliffe  Park  and  woodlands,  Hirst  Wood,  Roberts  Park,  Shipley  Glen  Tramway  and  numerous  allotments.  The  town  boasts  plentiful  pubs  and  its  own  small  brewery.  

Local  employment  includes  the  public  sector,  new  technology,  light  industry,  retail,  services,  a  small  voluntary  sector  and  a  small  tourism  sector  focussed  around  Saltaire  Village.  

Employment  is  often  found  in  neighbouring  Bradford.  However,  its  long-­‐term  decline  as  an  industrial  and  retail  centre  has  led  to  increasingly  strong  economic  ties  with  Leeds,  where  a  large  numbers  of  residents  access  employment  as  well  as  shopping  and  cultural  activities.    

Local  travel  infrastructure  includes  good  local  bus  services  and  a  modernised  railway  linking  Shipley  to  directly  Bradford,  Leeds,  the  Dales  and  even  London.  A  lack  of  high  volume  road  infrastructure  is  simultaneously  blamed  local  congestion  and  credited  for  the  area's  relatively  high  quality  of  life  and  attractiveness  as  a  place  to  live,  especially  for  those  working  in  Leeds.  Various  road  building  proposals  have  proved  highly  contentious  and  have  been  the  focus  of  highly  charged  local  campaigns  for  many  decades.  

Notably,  Leeds  is  only  easily  accessed  using  the  Aire  Valley  electric  railway.  Its  12  minute  journey  time  has  been  credited  with  Shipley's  relative  economic  buoyancy  during  the  recent  economic  downturn.    

Politically,  Shipley  Ward  has  elected  exclusively  Green  Party  councillors  since  2000.  The  constituency  has  returned  both  Labour  and  Conservative  MPs  to  Parliament  during  the  same  period.  

Shipley  town  centre  was  greatly  expanded  and  modernised  during  the  1960s.  However,  it  has  suffered  from  both  poorly  constructed  buildings  and  an  offer  focussed  almost  exclusively  on  retail  and  office  space.  It  lacks  many  of  the  social  and  cultural  features  town  centres  often  enjoy  such  as  theatres,  galleries  and  cinemas,  although  community-­‐led  initiatives  have  sought  to  address  this.  These  have  included  The  Kirkgate  Centre's  community  cinema,  pop-­‐up  café,  live  music  and  an  alternative  market,  and  pop  up  galleries  and  exhibitions  by  the  Hive,  Ante  and  Q20.  

Local  authority  support  for  a  large  town  centre  supermarket  in  the  1980s  is  often  blamed  for  the  significant  decline  of  independent  retailers.  Despite  attempts  to  revive  fortunes,  the  town  centre  continues  to  be  dominated  by  shops  and  market  stalls  selling  bric-­‐a-­‐brac  and  second  hand  goods.    

Despite  its  small  size,  Shipley's  voluntary  sector  has  a  very  good  reputation  it  is  noted  for  its  innovation,  impact  and  high  quality.  Some  key  local  organisations  include:  

• Friends  of  Northcliffe  -­‐  preserving  Shipley's  largest  area  of  parkland  and  woodland  

• HALE  -­‐  a  community  health  charity  nationally  recognised  for  its  ground  breaking  work  

• The  Hive  -­‐  an  innovative  and  popular  community  arts  organisation  • The  Kirkgate  Centre  -­‐  Shipley's  community  centre  and  development  trust,  

providing  an  eclectic  mix  of  services  and  cultural  activities  alongside  neighbourhood  development  work  

• Saltaire  Inspired  -­‐  delivering  Saltaire's  hugely  popular  annual  festivals  

 

Shipley  Ward  is  made  up  of  many  identifiable  local  neighbourhoods,  including:  

• Central  Shipley  • Coach  Road  &  Higher  Coach  Road  • Dockfields  • Hall  Royd  • Hirstwood  • Moorhead  • Nab  Wood  • Northcliffe  • The  Norwoods  • Saltaire  • Wycliffe  

 

Neighbourhood  action  

Many  different  neighbourhoods  across  Shipley  are  identifying  what  residents  like  about  their  neighbourhood,  what  they  would  like  to  change  and  what  their  priorities  for  action  are.  Some  neighbourhoods  and  areas  have  well-­‐established  local  groups  such  as  Hirstwood  Regen,  Friends  of  Northcliffe  and  Saltaire  Village  Society.  Others  are  just  getting  started.  

Since  2012,  the  Kirkgate  Centre  has  been  supporting  neighbourhood  planning  across  Shipley.  This  gives  neighbourhoods  an  opportunity  to  develop  their  own  priorities  as  well  and  contributing  towards  over-­‐arching  concerns  such  as  Shipley  Town  Centre,  transport  and  green  spaces.    

 

Shipley  Neighbourhood  Plan  

Local  neighbourhood  plans  are  being  drawn  together  into  this  Neighbourhood  Plan.  There  are  local  discussions  about  options  on  how  to  realise  this  plan.  These  include  any  or  all  of  the  following:  

• lobbying  Bradford  Council  for  greater  local  influence  and  devolved  decision  making  

• formulating  a  formal  statutory  Neighbourhood  Plan  • forming  an  alliance  of  Shipley  neighbourhoods  • forming  a  parish/town  council  

 

How  neighbourhood  planning  takes  place.  

The  Kirkgate  Centre  is  working  closely  with  local  neighbourhoods  on  a  neighbourhood  planning  process  which  aims  to  involve  as  many  residents  as  possible.  This  process  typically  involves:  

•  leafleting  every  household  in  a  neighbourhood  

•  providing  every  household  with  a  "Have  Your  Say"  pack  

•  visiting  every  household  in  a  neighbourhood,  offering  a  confidential  interview    

•  collating  findings  and  holding  neighbourhood  planning  meetings  to  undertake  table-­‐top  planning  and  agree  priorities  

•  supporting  the  formation  or  strengthening  neighbourhood  groups  to  turn  priorities  into  action  

Every  neighbourhood  in  Shipley  is  encouraged  to  get  involved  and  any  resident  can  contact  the  Kirkgate  Centre  to  get  the  planning  process  going  where  they  live.  

 

Neighbourhoods  currently  or  soon  to  be  engaged  include:  

• Hall  Royd  and  Manor  Lane  ("The  Triangle")  • The  Norwoods  • Coach  Road  • Wycliffe  &  Park  St  • Hirstwood  

 

What  do  our  residents  want  for  their  neighbourhoods?    

Examples  of  identified  neighbourhood  priorities  include  

• Safer  places  for  children  to  play  

• Traffic  calming  and  reduction  • Sustaining,  improving  and  protecting  our  green  spaces  • An  improved  town  centre  that  reflects  the  social,  economic  and  cultural  

aspirations  of  Shipley  • Support  for  local  traders  and  other  businesses  • More  opportunities  for  people  to  come  together  

 

What  did  they  think  needed  to  be  done  to  help  the  local  area?  

• Communities  coming  together  to  take  action  and  lobby  • Investment  in  measures  to  contain  A650,  supermarket  and  school-­‐run  traffic  • Investment  in  parks  and  community  gardens  • A  community-­‐led  town  centre  regeneration  process  • Targeted  support  for  local  business  start-­‐ups  and  local  traders  • Improved  local  markets  • Resistance  to  new  supermarket  developments  • Resistance  to  increasing  road  capacity  and  traffic  volumes  • Investment  in  cycle  ways  and  foot  access  across  the  Ward,  especially  to  key  local  

assets  such  as  the  station,  town  centre,  the  River  Aire  and  Leeds  Liverpool  Canal  

As  a  result  of  these  activities  the  suggested  local  priorities  for  Community  First:  List  of  priorities    

• Priority  1:    creating,  enhancing  or  protecting  green  spaces    

• Priority  2:    a  pedestrian  friendly  town  –  support  for  actions  to  limit  the  impact  of  traffic    

• Priority  3:  children  and  young  people  –  support  for  activities  by  and/or  for  young  people  in  Shipley    

• Priority  4:  supporting  community  life  –  support  for  activities  that  bring  people  together  and  strengthen  community  life    

• Priority  5:  people  power  –  support  for  increasing  the  participation  and  influence  of  local  people  in  their  neighbourhoods  and  town