BRADFORD Council has been awarded £324,038 to draw up proposals to regenerate Keighley and Shipley.

In September the government announced that the two towns would share up to £25 million in investment as part of the Towns Fund.

Over 100 towns and cities across the UK would be given funding through the scheme to carry out “innovative regeneration plans.”

Now more details of the fund have been announced, and the Government says the towns can use the windfall for schemes from redeveloping vacant buildings or empty plots of land to starting training programmes for young people.

To kickstart the scheme councils across the country are being given funds to draw up a Town Investment Plan, detailing how the money would be spent.

Bradford Council has been given £324,038 to draw up such a plan for Shipley and Keighley.

Guidance from the government says this plan should complement other policies - including the UK’s legal commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Once the plan is complete, it can be used to access the £25m funding.

A prospectus for the scheme, published by the Government on Friday, says the money could be used to improve transport links between towns and villages, or to buy key sites or buildings in towns to boost regeneration.

It says: “In post-industrial towns, there will likely also be opportunities to redevelop vacant sites for new business and leisure uses. By aligning this with other complementary investment, including transport, local leaders can ensure these developments support the economy into the future, and create wider strategic benefits.

“Towns should work with public land owners and other land owners to identify and unlock land across the town and its periphery, creating a future land supply that will sustain the town’s development.”

It gives an example of Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley as how developing a vacant building can aid a town’s regeneration. The site is now home to 70 businesses.

Communities and Local Government Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: “No place is exactly the same. That is why we want to help local people in West Yorkshire to decide how this investment of up to £25 million in each town from the Government can help create new businesses, new jobs and new homes for generations to come.”

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “We are pleased to receive this news. The Council will examine the Towns Fund prospectus carefully and will work with a wide range of partners to deliver the best possible outcomes alongside other local towns projects such as Shipley Healthy Streets and Keighley Low Street improvements.”

The Government also recently launched the My Town campaign, giving people the chance to share what they love about selected towns and how they want to see them grow.

In just one week, the campaign has drawn over 10,000 responses from across the country.