The Brief
Rotorgraph Specialist Roof Surveys were approached by Bradford Council’s Markets Service to evaluate the proximity of St James’s Wholesale Market, being the site of the proposed Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) station at the bottom of Wakefield Road to Bradford Interchange. Using drones was a quick, effective and the most appropriate way to highlight just how close the two sites are using a bird’s eye view.
Client
Bradford Council – Markets Service
Date
April 2021
Services
Drone Videography
The Result
In the (below) video you’ll see it only took a matter of 16 seconds (at a speed of just over 20mph – an equivalent speed to an experienced cyclist) to get from the boundary of the Wakefield Road site to the Interchange. The current road layout doesn’t allow a direct A to B walk or bike ride, but the video demonstrates that revising the current road layout can make the journey time walking from the city centre to get a train only minutes longer.
Rotorgraph Specialist Roof Surveys supplied aerial photography for meetings along with videography using 3D call outs to highlight key parts of the city, we also provided 2 linked 360 panoramas so you can jump from the existing site to the proposed site seamlessly.
A boost for the economy, jobs and likely property prices too
The development of the Wakefield Road station if carried out has the potential to boost Bradford’s fortunes. With a rapid connection to key northern cities such as Leeds and Manchester, Bradford will see the economic benefits, enabling Bradfordians to seek employment in cities where current travel times would make a daily commute impractical or stressful, this would make the local housing stock more attractive to buyers seeking better value properties that allowed a hassle free journey into work.
All steam ahead to a better future for Bradford
The chairperson of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and leader of Bradford Council, Susan Hinchcliffe believes “It is disgraceful that a place the size of Bradford is still not on the mainline. We have two local stations that are not fit for purpose, or properly linked at all.”
Commuters travelling from Bradford know all too well, the daily commute to Leeds and back is often a hassle, especially when there are delays, meanwhile a daily commute by train to Manchester is just not practical, the NPR station can change the current reality.
The proposed station would have a dramatic impact on the daily experience of commuters, slashing journey times to 10 minutes to Leeds and 22 minutes to Manchester, connecting businesses and workforces to existing, new and emerging markets across the North and beyond.
The benefits of connectivity work both ways, with a fast and reliable rail connection, Bradford businesses can reach a larger workforce and the cultural offering of Bradford from smaller venues like The Underground through to The Alhambra, St George’s Hall and Bradford Live will all benefit from larger crowds.
The council is firm in their belief that the NPR station would finally connect the district’s young and entrepreneurial population to the Northern labour market as well as attracting investment and creating jobs in the district. It would also support the district’s aspiration for clean, sustainable and inclusive growth and its ambition to be the UK City of Culture 2025.
