Materials from China to be used in market scheme

Materials from as far as China will be used in the refurbishment of Shipley's Market Square, a report has revealed.

Granite and other building materials from Italy and Portugal will also be used as part of the multimillion-pound regeneration scheme.

The details were in a report on the delayed £4m scheme which is due to be presented to councillors later.

It also confirms the preferred company to undertake the work, which is due to begin next year, is Kelbray Highways Ltd.

Work to refurbish the Market Square was due to begin in August and last until May 2025, but the start date has since been pushed back to January, with the work unlikely to be completed until November 2025.

Bradford Council has previously said the delays were due to the rising cost of materials, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Members of the regeneration and environment scrutiny committee will be told later the £4m scheme is being funded from the government's Shipley Towns Fund and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Although the contractors have not officially been appointed, the report states work to procure building materials has already begun due to the lengthy delivery period of these materials.

It said: "Estimated scheme costs have increased significantly due a combination of rising inflation and material costs which include continued increases to shipping charges.

"Comprehensive site investigations have been carried out during project development to mitigate unforeseen site condition risk as far as possible."

It said that specialist granite and porphyry materials from China, Italy and Portugal will be used in the construction process.

The report continued: "A separate tender has previously been awarded to the successful bidder arising from a robust procurement process to ensure that all materials will be available for the commencement of the construction and significantly reduce any potential claims for delay."

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