As the City of Culture 2025, Bradford hosted an exciting variety of events and exhibitions. These were widely attended by the community, as well as attracting visitors to the historic Yorkshire city. Halfway through the year, an exciting new venue for arts, entertainment, dining and shopping opened its doors. Darley Street Market takes pride of place in Bradford City’s redevelopment.
Darley Street Market
Bradford is undergoing significant redevelopment to transform outdated, underused and derelict areas into thriving hubs with impressive facilities for residents and visitors. The investment aims to bring economic and social benefits that lead to long-term benefits for the area.
As part of this city redevelopment, plans were approved in 2019 to build Darley Street Market. This three-storey building would provide modern trading facilities for local market traders. In addition, the plans included dining areas and interior and exterior performance spaces for a wide range of events.
Keir Construction was selected as the main contractor. They handed the building over for the final fit-out last year, which was completed in mid-July 2025. Since then, visitors have had the opportunity to enjoy films and fresh produce, along with lunch and live bands!
A Versatile Community Space for Bradford
Darely Street Market was designed by Grieg & Stephenson Architects, a company with prior experience in reviving Borough and Birmingham markets. Their brief was to create a light, airy and inviting community hub for a range of activities. With this in mind, they designed versatile interior and exterior spaces, which have already attracted considerable crowds.
The building needed a modern look, yet had to fit in with the surrounding architecture that is part of Bradford’s heritage. In addition, the architects focused on sustainable design, including low-energy principles and renewable solar power to manage long-term costs.
Shou Sugi Ban Cladding Adds Warmth to the Building
Shou Sugi Ban® exterior cladding and a glulam framework were selected as premium building materials that enhance thermal and sound insulation. The responsibly sourced timbers also add texture and visual warmth to the aesthetic of the building.
The architects selected our Accoya Tenki cladding for this project. This heavy brush finish enhances the natural grain, adding a unique finish to the construction. Accoya® cladding is sustainably sourced timber that is treated with a non-toxic process to enhance stability, durability and resilience. Coupled with our controlled charring preservation technique, the result is a high-performance and low-maintenance timber that is ideal for exterior applications. It will look amazing for many decades!
City Redevelopment Boosts Pride
Since opening, Darley Street Market has provided the venue for many City of Culture events. From wrestling to reading groups and drumming to dance, performers and audiences have headed into the heart of the city to participate and connect. As a result of a year of extraordinary events and new facilities on the doorstep, 80% of residents* report increased pride in their city.
They might be biased, however, in December, Darley Street Market won the New Business of the Year in the Telegraph & Angus Retail, Leisure & Hospitality Awards 2025. What an amazing achievement!
The Impact of City Redevelopment
After an impressive year, there is a vibrant future for Bradford. Hundreds of people have gained training and employment opportunities, and the event schedule continues. At the start of 2026, a playable piano was installed as part of the Leeds & Bradford piano trail, which may reveal some budding talents.
We are delighted to see the completed Darley Street Market and hear of the impact it is having on the local community. It offers a strong case for investment in city redevelopment.
To request samples of Accoya Tenki or any of the Shou Sugi Ban® cladding range for your commercial projects, call Exterior Solutions Ltd on 01494 711800.