Next phase begins on £210m Huddersfield “Cultural Heart” town centre transformation

The second phase of public consultation gets underway today on proposals for Kirklees Cultural Heart, the £210m development scheme that aims to “transform the heart” of Huddersfield town centre.

The Cultural Heart forms part of the wider Huddersfield Blueprint, Kirklees Council’s 10-year vision to create a “thriving, modern-day” town centre for Huddersfield. However, by redefining Huddersfield town centre, the aim is also to position this area as an economic driver within West Yorkshire, bringing benefits for Kirklees as a whole.

The proposals for the Kirklees Cultural Heart aim to breathe new life and activity into the area between Queensgate, King Street and Victoria Lane, currently known as the Piazza, which has seen “decreasing footfall” in recent years.

The plan involves refurbishing the historic Queensgate Market and Huddersfield Library buildings to house a new food hall and dedicated museum space respectively. A new community-focussed library will be developed within a modern extension to the market building, while a brand-new art gallery will be built on Queen Street.

Elsewhere, a new multi-purpose entertainment venue, which will have a capacity of up to 2,200 people, is being designed to host major concerts, live shows, business conferences, trade shows and more. Below the venue will be a multi-storey car park with around 350 spaces.

Phase one of the Cultural Heart consultation took place throughout May and June earlier this year. This first phase saw over 3,750 people engage online and over 200 people attend the dedicated in-person exhibition space.

63 per cent of respondents said that, based on what they had seen so far, they were supportive of the proposals for the Cultural Heart.

Respondents were particularly supportive of making the town centre a more “welcoming, inclusive and accessible” destination for people with different needs, as well as maintaining the heritage assets such as the market building and current library building.

Having taken on board the official feedback from local businesses and residents, the latest versions of the plans, including a series of brand-new visuals, are now available to view and comment on.

This second phase of consultation runs until September 14, 2022, with the potential for a formal planning application to be submitted to the Local Planning Authority this autumn.

Councillor Shabir Pandor, leader of Kirklees Council, said: “We were thrilled with the amount of engagement we received through the first phase of consultation, because this is how local residents and businesses can really shape the future of Kirklees.

“Those who shared their views will hopefully see we’ve used the feedback to shape these new, more advanced designs.”

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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