I was very impressed by the news of the occupation of the Westfield site yesterday and have enjoyed spending some time down at the camp over the Sunday. Essentially, after 10 years of delaying tactics by the Australian development company, Bradford people are saying 'enough is enough'.
Westfield have got to commit themselves to this project. They have creamed off the big London sites, and have happily made a killing over the Olympics shopping mall, but now they have to support the North. Bradford is a great investment at the moment, especially as the new pool is packing people into the city centre for the first time in decades.
The occupier's have demanded meetings with those in the council responsible for the development, and want a statement from Westfield about when they intend to start work.
The occupy movement in West Yorkshire has really inspired activists in the area. After the city centre occupations in Bradford and Leeds, activists have taken the idea further and held very bold actions in places such as Menwith Hill. Now, people power is demanding action over jobs and development in Bradford's city centre, and the occupation of Westfield is a powerful step forward for the movement.
We will watch with interest to see how the authorities respond - in the meantime, get down to the site and show some support!
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