Bradford Chamber of Commerce has called for swift and positive news regarding the status of the Bradford Live project.

The flagship regeneration scheme to transform the iconic former Odeon building into a state-of-the-art entertainment venue was due to open this year, creating an entertainment space that was anticipated to welcome 300,000 visitors a year for music, sporting and comedy events.

While work is clearly still taking place at the site, a considerable amount of speculation is mounting that about the venue’s future and involvement of the NEC Group as the venue’s operator.

Given the importance of Bradford Live to the city’s future, and the fact that Bradford City of Culture is now just a few short months away from taking place, the Chamber has called for clarity about the state-of-play with the venue from both the NEC, Bradford Council and Bradford Live itself.

Mark Cowgill, president of Bradford Chamber, said: “With so much positive momentum currently behind the city ahead of Bradford 2025 and so much regeneration works currently underway in the city, it is crucial that we obtain clarity about the Bradford Live venue’s status.

“Our membership has grown restless and the lack of clarity in media reports has been unhelpful with regards to both the morale of business and ability to attract investment into Bradford.

“The scale of opportunity that Bradford Live presents not only for this city but for the North of England is massive and so therefore we call upon all parties to dampen speculation with a clear unequivocal backing for the project’s future.

“We at Bradford Chamber are under no illusions as to the scale of the difficulties our economy is currently facing. However, communication breeds confidence and silence merely brings fear, something that our city does not need during this pivotal time in its history.”

In December last year, the Birmingham-based NEC Group said the developer, Bradford Live, would hand over the iconic domed venue to the NEC Group “by mid-2024”, with organisers previously stating the launch season for Bradford Live would take place this autumn.

But major uncertainty comes after:

• The NEC Group declined to reaffirm its commitment to Bradford Live.

• The general manager of Bradford Live, Darren Moore, left the role in February.

• The NEC Group has not commented on who – if anyone – is the new general manager.

• People have been unable to buy tickets for more than a month for the first two announced for Bradford Live.

• The shows are no longer mentioned on the Bradford Live website.

Bradford Council last week said a contract it has with the NEC Group “remains in place”.

The T&A has contacted both Bradford Council and the NEC Group for a comment.