More than £5m released for second phase of town centre regeneration

Senior councillors this week approved funding for the next phase of the Huddersfield town centre regeneration programme – “Our Cultural Heart”.

Work is underway on phase one, which will see the old Queensgate market reinvigorated as a community hub and leisure space with a library, food hall and a new public square designed for socialising and events.

Phase two will see the four-storey former library, one of Huddersfield town centre’s most historically significant buildings, become a museum and art gallery with a 50-seat café with outdoor terrace.

The plans include a new extension which will improve accessibility, and better connect the building with the outdoor space.

Councillors agreed the release of £5.413m from the overall project budget for phase two. This will be used to progress the next stage of phase two contractor procurement and design.

In addition to the phase two cash, £250,000 will be released for work on the programme master plan.

This study will examine plans for later stages of the programme. The aim of the study is to investigate how the council can complete delivery of Our Cultural Heart without additional capital borrowing, while ensuring minimal impact on the project’s overarching ambitions.

There will also be some reallocation of capital funding from the overall programme budget to allow for delivery of specific services within Our Cultural Heart.

This includes £371,000 to allow the West Yorkshire Archive Service to deliver services from the library, and £50,000 to prepare for future events in the public square.

The report also includes details of service operating costs, and proposals for how these would be funded.

Councillor Graham Turner, cabinet member for regeneration at Kirklees Council, said: “Our Cultural Heart is our most ambitious regeneration programme.

“When completed it will bring a new, community-centred arts and leisure offer to the town, providing cultural activities to enjoy during the day and into the evening.

“It will play a significant role in making Huddersfield a family-friendly, prosperous town centre which provides exciting places to live, work or visit.

“As with all large regeneration schemes, there are hurdles to jump and challenges to overcome. A pandemic and wars in other countries have of course made things even more complex.

“This has meant we’ve had to continually assess our finances and prioritise spend that will lead to the successful delivery of the first phases of the scheme, while still allowing for exciting new developments in the future.

“Releasing the funds demonstrates our commitment to delivering something everyone can be proud of and doing that in a way that delivers real changes on the ground in the next few years.

“Regeneration is not just about bricks and mortar. Our ambition is to give local people and visitors more reasons to spend time in the town centre.

“By increasing footfall, and in turn commercial opportunities, our plans will benefit existing and future businesses from all sectors. Thriving businesses in turn provide employment opportunities.”