Poetic touch will be added to high street in latest phase of regeneration works

Kirklees Council is adding a final touch to its major improvement project on New Street – one of Huddersfield’s busiest high streets.

National Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, a Marsden native who spoke at TheBusinessDesk.com’s Business of Yorkshire Conference last year, has written a poem celebrating Huddersfield, its people and its traditions.

Written especially for the New Street project, the poem has been part of the plans from the beginning.

The council will share the full poem after it has taken pride of place on New Street, so residents, businesses and visitors get the first chance to see it.

This special poem, dedicated to Huddersfield, is one of many current and future displays of art, literature and culture in the town.

Our Cultural Heart – one of the largest-scale town centre regeneration projects across the north of England – is around the corner from New Street.

It should offer many more opportunities around art, music, history and culture, and increase footfall into Huddersfield town centre in years to come.

The first phase of the landmark regeneration – which is developing a new library hub, food hall and public square – is set to open in spring next year, and planning permission has been granted for its second phase, which will see the addition of a new museum and gallery.

The council says it has made sure the installation of the new poetic paving stones will not affect businesses opening.

The new feature will be in place in time for the busier summer months – when many cafés and restaurants have seating areas on the street.

Paving will be installed segment by segment over a period of 16 weeks, starting on 22 April.

Councillor Graham Turner, cabinet member for finance and regeneration, said: “Our transformative work on New Street, played a big part in kicking off the Huddersfield Blueprint – our masterplan for investment right across Huddersfield, which is now seeing projects on the ground and delivering big changes all over town.

“We’ve seen tremendous improvements to this busy high street already, and this final finishing touch is perfectly timed as we head into another bustling summer season.

“Our blueprint plans are aimed at making Huddersfield a landmark for culture, and Our Cultural Heart right around the corner will bring with it a huge focus on art, music and history.

“Those attractions will, in turn, bring so much more footfall for our local high street businesses, and our wider town centre should echo those ambitions for Huddersfield as a whole.

“Featuring this contribution from Simon Armitage – not just our Poet Laureate but a local who really loves this town – is an opportunity to celebrate local art and artists, and I hope many more will be involved over the coming years as we make Huddersfield town centre a real cultural destination.

“Our investment in this part of Huddersfield also shows we’re very much still prioritising our high streets, even as the spaces surrounding them change to reflect people’s increasingly varied expectations from a town centre.”