West Yorkshire residents and businesses have their say on £19.1m investment plans

Calderdale Council and the Brighouse Town Deal Board are thanking the thousands of people who saw the latest plans for the future of Brighouse, and the hundreds who had their say, during a three-week engagement process on the £19.1m Town Deal.

The government-funded projects, which aim to transform Brighouse by encouraging more people to shop, spend time and spend money in the town, were showcased at open events, online and on paper between May 15 and June 4 with everyone invited to give detailed feedback.

The latest plans included updated designs for the new market building, visualisations showing how the town centre could look, and how a new event space would be created at Thornton Square.

It also set out how the key objective of putting the focus on people not vehicles will be achieved by changing the way traffic moves around the town centre, balancing the need to ensure easy access to shops, businesses and venues with the ambition for a safer, more welcoming centre for pedestrians.

Nearly 300 detailed responses to the survey were received with nearly 9,000 people studying the plans in detail online and several hundred more attending two open events at Brighouse Open Market and the Central Methodist Church.

Among the feedback received, 64 per cent were positive about the proposals for Commercial and Bethel Street, 69 per cent liked the plans for Thornton Square and 65 per cent backed the market designs.

Naturally, some concerns were expressed about some elements of the scheme, particularly on town centre traffic movements and parking, and these are now being considered as the plans are developed in even more detail.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Towns, Tourism and the Voluntary Sector, Cllr Sarah Courtney, commented: “It is very encouraging that so many people in Brighouse wanted to see the latest Town Deal plans and have their say on the proposals. Thank you to everyone who gave their time to give their views.

“The team delivering the projects are now working hard to see where some of the ideas from the engagement can be incorporated, including feedback around details like parking and access for deliveries and the importance of pedestrian spaces.

“The individual identity of each of our towns is what makes them so special, and it was great to hear from passionate local people in Brighouse, who share our ambitions for a safe, thriving and welcoming town.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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