The population of the Bradford Metropolitan District will be half a million.

Compared with the UK the District will have more people aged under 30.

Although born in the District, a greater proportion of the population will have family origins in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

This young and diverse population will be our greatest asset and the foundation of economic dynamism and innovation.

The trend towards the service sector industries will continue. Manufacturing will remain important and the prosperity of the District will still depend on its performance in both sectors.



Our vision for the Bradford District falls within the broader Regional Economic Strategy for Yorkshire and the Humber. Bradford and Leeds form one of the biggest sub regions outside London. By 2020 the Bradford-Leeds area will constitute a single market place in terms of business, employment, housing and leisure markets and will be pioneers in the fields of financial and customer services and communications technology.



By 2020 e-commerce based financial services will have grown significantly, and the city will have capitalised on its state-of-the-art telecommunications infrastructure. The Bradford-Leeds axis will be the UK's pre-eminent regional centre for financial services, and developed a significant international profile in this sector.

Bradford will be a great place to live. This will be driven by Bradford's unique and dynamic cultural life, based on the interaction between the city's many different cultures. Building on the world class reputation of the hugely successful Bradford Festival and the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television, the visual and performing arts will be particularly significant.

Bradford's world wide reputation will be enhanced by its clean, attractive and safe city environment, which will be the benchmark against which other cities are judged.



By 2020, the towns of Keighley, Bingley and Shipley will have developed a strong common identity as Airedale within the Bradford District. Airedale's economic structure will complement that of the City of Bradford.

Airedale will have an international reputation as a centre for research, development and production of high technology products, particularly in the field of e-commerce and e-leisure.

Airedale will continue to be the home of world leading companies in high technology products resulting in its establishment as Europe's leading centre for digital communications. The economies of the towns and villages in and around Airedale will be increasingly geared towards supporting this sector and providing services to the people who work in it.

A quality environment is a key factor in attracting and retaining the skilled knowledge workers that the area will need. The opportunities created by the completion of the Aire Valley trunk road will have brought about major environmental improvements in the valley towns and villages. The River Aire will improve to become one of the area's greatest assets, providing a habitat for an increasing variety of wildlife. These changes will not only make this area a beautiful place to live but a major attraction for tourists.



Ilkley and its surrounding villages will be world renowned as a place to visit and stay. The local economy will have benefited from the growth in tourism and Wharfedale will have established its reputation in Europe as one of the most desirable places to live and as a thriving community within the Bradford District.



The city centre will be the focus of Bradford's cultural life. Its vibrant cultural scene and attractive environment will have seen it develop as a desirable place to live. The influx of spending power will have given a boost to city centre businesses, whose profitability will have attracted a new wave of city centre investment.

The city centre will offer a unique shopping and leisure experience, differentiated from that of Leeds by reflecting the city's cultural mix. The imaginative re-use of our architectural heritage will give the city a character that few others can match.

The city-centre will not have any through traffic problems. As well as making the city more pleasant and safe this, together with park and ride schemes for city centre workers, will have created a significant increase in on street and off street car parking for shoppers, day-trippers and residents, boosting the centre's retail and leisure industries and encouraging city-centre living.

The city centre's shops, cultural life and attractive environment will also make it a great place to visit, drawing in more tourists and adding further spending power.