Bradford District Local Infrastructure Baseline Study - working draft ...

Another stark contrast is in the more rural areas, where, unlike most of the district, we score
badly in terms of access to housing and services. People living in parts of Wharfedale, the
Worth Valley, Wyke and Tong face geographical and wider barriers to GP surgeries,
supermarkets, primary schools and post offices, as well as housing.
The map below illustrates the pattern of deprivation (2007) across the district. It clearly
shows that many of the urban areas on the edge of the city centre, which grew when our
manufacturing industries were flourishing, have suffered in the shift to the service and
knowledge based economy.
Figure: Bradford’s least and most deprived areas (LSOAs) 2007
The focus of economic activity now is the city of Bradford, and the well served corridor
centred on Keighley, Bingley and Shipley. The historic concentrations of employment along
Canal Road, Thornton Road and Bowling Back Lane have been joined by more recent
concentrations close to the M606 and M62 motorways.
We have good transport links with Leeds Bradford Airport, and three rail routes provide key
connections across the district, and to neighbouring Leeds, as well as providing a trans-
Pennine link to Manchester via Halifax. Good connections across all types of public transport
will be increasingly important. Trends show that the district is unlikely to create enough jobs
on its own to meet the demands of a growing workforce. Links with neighbouring districts will
be increasingly important to connect people with training and employment. For some, the
urban centres of Leeds will provide these opportunities, but for many of our rural
communities, Craven is more important.
Population trends also mean that we need to be planning for new homes and housing
developments. The Local Development Framework (LDF) is a new system for making sure
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