Bradford’s Investment Opportunities

What makes Bradford unique from any other city is its deep cultural heritage. So much in fact, that 54% of people that visit the city come to witness the thriving cultural scene, and this activity has led to the recent win of ‘The UK City of Culture 2025’. But there’s more to Bradford than you may realise.

Bradford is the second-largest subdivision of the North West, with 537,000 residences living in the city. By 2037, the city expects this number to have increased to approximately 550,000.

With this large of a population, housing is an importance aspect for the local authority to focus on. Therefore by 2030, they plan on implementing 1,704 housing completions per annum minimum, and the delivery of 411 new affordable houses per annum minimum.

The city also expects to close the gap between the number of long-term empty homes within the Bradford District when compared to the average number in West Yorkshire. Already, Bradford has seen an increase in the number of private sector homes where housing conditions have been improved through intervention measures.

The total current housing breakdown in Bradford is as follows:

·       Social Housing: 15.4%

·       Owner Occupied: 65%

·       Private Rented or Rent Free: 19.6%

Alongside cultural diversity, Bradford holds a large amount of demographic diversity, with 29% of the city’s population being under the age of 20- making it the perfect place for students to live. Specifically, Bradford University had a population of 9,960 students in the 2020/21 academic year, with 8,413 being UK residents and 1,547 having travelled from both in and out of the EU.

Recently, the University of Bradford has revealed a £120m campus development. £84m of this investment will go towards improving facilities at the University, aiming to enhance the student experience and ultimately attract both domestic and overseas students.

Bradford is not usually recognised for its achievements in education; however, the local university and schooling district offers high quality learning opportunities, with Bradford rated:

1st in England for impact on social mobility (Higher Education Policy Institute’s English Social Mobility Index 2021)

Top 10 in UK for Forensic Science, Optometry, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy (Complete University Guide 2021)

Top 10 in UK for Forensic Science, Optometry, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy (Complete University Guide 2021)

Distance Learning MBA ranked 1st in the world for value for money (Financial Times Online MBA Rankings 2021)

Top 10 in UK for Chemical Engineering (Guardian University League Tables 2021)

Top 20 in the UK for Forensic Science & Archaeology, Nursing & Midwifery, Pharmacy & Pharmacology and Sports Sciences(Guardian University League Tables 2020)

Bradford University also came 2nd for its overall salary increase for MBA graduates three years after graduating, 5th for ‘international mobility’, and 4th for their student demographics, with 72% of those on courses classed as international students. (Financial Times Online MBA Rankings 2021).

Bradford is a culturally diverse region with exemplary opportunities for education and property investment. It would be recommended to research into student housing investment opportunities as Bradford’s demographics support the need for affordable student accommodation within travelling distance to the local University.