Bradford: Plan to sell offices will save £1.1m, council says

Bradford Council plans to sell one of its office buildings, which it claims will be “one of the most exciting investment opportunities in the city”.

The closure of the Margaret McMillan Tower is expected to save the authority £1.1m a year.

Staff will be relocated to the Town Hall and Britannia House.

Plans to close the multi-storey office building were first announced at the end of 2022 as part of the council’s budget proposals, but the closure has not yet taken place.

As it announced its plans to sell the Prince’s Way site, the council said it “could fulfill a number of uses in the future”.

However, the library was condemned as a fire risk and closed in 2011.

After a £9.3 million refurbishment, it reopened in 2015 as the new home of Bradford Council’s children’s services department.

In front of the building is the statue of the Child of the North.

The building also faces a major redevelopment scheme which will see Ings Hall pedestrianized and create a new park.

Bradford Council said it regularly reviewed the use of its buildings and that this program would deliver “significant budget savings”.

However, Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s executive member for regeneration, planning and transport, said there was still “a bit of work to do” before the Margaret McMillan Tower could be put on the market.

The statement also said that Bradford City Library is to move from its current site in City Park to a new location and that “details will follow shortly”.

In August, the council announced it was “exploring options” for the library’s future as it currently costs £420,000 in rent each year.