By KLTV Newsdesk
Kirklees Council’s Cabinet has approved a £100million investment which aims to deliver town centre regeneration projects as part of the Huddersfield and Dewsbury Blueprint plans.
In June 2019 the council launched its Huddersfield Blueprint plan and followed this up in February 2020 with the unveiling of its Dewsbury Blueprint.
An update on progress and an overview of the next steps was presented to Cabinet on 22 September 2020.
Cabinet Members voted to back the transformational funding plans for both town centres.
For Huddersfield, up to £75 million will be invested to deliver a number of key projects.
These projects include a new Sound Space music venue, improvement works to the various public areas, refurbishments to storefronts, and a new multi-story car park at Market Hall
The funds will also be allocated to repair works to the George Hotel
Projects in Dewsbury will have £26 million allocated. The council says this will help to deliver the refurbishment of Dewsbury Arcade which the council recently purchased, as well as public realm and shopfront improvements, public art projects, refurbishment of the library building, new street lighting, and more.
The plans are still subject to change and the council says they will continue developing and delivering these projects and work will also continue to plan other significant regeneration plans for both towns.
In addition to this £100 million investment, Kirklees Council is looking to secure a further £18 million in match funding to help deliver both Blueprint plans, with bids also submitted for additional grants.
Councillor Peter McBride, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “When we launched our plans for Huddersfield and Dewsbury town centres, our intention was to get to work and bring them to life and this level of investment shows that we mean business.
“Our Blueprint visions are long-term and on a large-scale. This investment is just the start of an incredibly exciting regeneration journey for our town centres with further plans being worked on.
“We can now begin to develop and deliver these key projects and start to create the thriving town centres local people and businesses deserve.
“I would like to thank all the thousands of residents who took the time to view our plans for Huddersfield and Dewsbury and shared their thoughts with us as part of the consultation period.
“Something that remains important to us moving forward is working with local people to make sure we get this right for them. As we move on to deliver individual projects, we will continue to ask for your input so we can shape our future together.”
You can learn more about the Blueprint plans by watching our Business Programme interview with Simon Taylor, Head of Development for Kirklees Council, below.
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