By Joshua Robinson – 

Today, Kirklees Council’s Cabinet will debate whether to allocate an additional £9.8 million to refurbishing and reopening the George Hotel, one of Huddersfield’s most recognisable historic buildings. Once reopened, the George, will be managed by Radisson.

The George Hotel is one of the key priorities within the Huddersfield Blueprint, which lays out a master plan for investment across the town centre for years. The George has stood vacant since 2013, with the building left to deteriorate. Four years ago, the council purchased the Grade II Listed building to restore it and bring it back into use.

Once reopened, the George is set to become the first Radisson RED hotel in Yorkshire. The redevelopment will support the local Kirklees economy with new jobs, new skills and training opportunities, and increased visitor spending.

Over the past few months, the council has been reviewing their plans for the George, factoring in not just the ongoing increases in construction costs (which are impacting regeneration projects nationally) but also additional issues found onsite, mostly due to the nature of renovating a historic building. The council has also investigated the possibility of increasing the number of rooms planned from 91 to 108, enabling more people to stay in the hotel and helping to generate more income once reopened.

Two years ago, the Cabinet approved £20.2 million to redevelop and refurbish the George. If approved, this further funding would take the total to £30 million, enabling regeneration work to move forward with the new 108-bed design, which would open in 2027.

In a report to next week’s Cabinet meeting, councillors will be asked to re-allocate the additional £9.8 million from funds already earmarked for economic regeneration in Huddersfield.

Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance & Regeneration, said: “The George Hotel plays such a key role in Huddersfield’s past, and for people travelling by rail it will always be one of the very first buildings to welcome you as you enter the town centre. Bringing this building back to life is one of our priorities within the Huddersfield Blueprint, and we’re unwavering in that commitment.”

“This extra funding injection would see us reopen the George with more bedrooms than previously planned, allowing more people to enjoy our rejuvenated Huddersfield town centre, and helping the building itself generate more income. We want the finished hotel to be fantastic, because we know how much it’s loved by local people, and what a great opportunity this presents to boost our local economy and tourism.”

“As with many of our regeneration plans – particularly projects which involve the refurbishment of such beautiful, historic structures – it’s a hugely complex process, greatly impacted by the current economic climate. What we’re proposing is a more streamlined vision for the hotel, with greater capacity, and solutions that take better care of this beautiful building’s history.”

“My hope is that Cabinet will continue to see bringing this beautiful building back into use as a priority. We know people love the George and want to see it given a new lease of life – in fact, should our recommendation go forward next week, we’ll be finding more ways to involve the public down the line in how the interior design of the new Radisson RED hotel could celebrate Huddersfield, its culture and history for visitors in years to come.”

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