Community invited to comment on Holmfirth town centre road plans
Local residents and businesses have been invited to have their say on proposals for changes to Holmfirth’s town centre roads.
In partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, we have developed proposals designed to improve traffic flow through the town centre as well as improving the pedestrian experience.
Cabinet member for Economy, Cllr Peter McBride said,
“These proposals demonstrate an investment in Holmfirth that will get traffic moving, support future growth and ensures Holmfirth remains a vibrant place to be.
The changes will enhance the town centre, making it more accessible and therefore more attractive to business investment and event organisers.
I encourage people to get involved and have their say on the proposals.”
Several ideas have been considered before drawing up a preferred option which the council is now asking the public to comment on.
What is the preferred option?
The preferred option includes making Victoria Street one-way, creating a mini-roundabout at the junctions between Victoria Street, Town Gate, Hollowgate and Dunford Road and creating a new link road between Hollowgate and the A6024 Huddersfield Road.
How can I have my say?
Ahead of drawing up final plans the council has written to local residents and businesses and invited them to look at the ideas and give feedback online on the online form.
Drop in exhibitions are to be held at the Holmfirth Civic Hall where the road proposals will be on display and members of the development team will answer questions. These take place on
Saturday 9 March 9am – 1pm
Thursday 14 March 9am – 5pm and
Tuesday 19 March 3pm – 7pm
Unstaffed exhibitions will also be at the Huddersfield and Holmfirth libraries for people to view during opening hours between 4 March and 5 April.
The deadline for feedback on the Holmfirth access plans is 5 April.
Where has the money come from?
The scheme forms part of wider plans to improve road access across Kirklees and is funded through the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund. The West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund is supported through the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of Government investment through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.
Cllr Peter Box, Chair of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Investment Committee, which evaluates and approves West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund schemes, said,
“Like all our West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund schemes, these proposals are about supporting economic growth and improving local air quality and I would encourage everyone to get involved and have their say on them before the Friday 5 April closing date.”
Feedback will be considered, along with the results from the council’s ongoing assessments, before finalising plans. If agreed, it is hoped building work will start by March 2020, completing in 2021.
The scheme forms part of wider plans to improve road access across Kirklees and is funded by the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund allocated to the West Yorkshire and York region to increase housing, employment and economic growth.
Why was the timescale for consultation so short?
Why was the community not consulted at an earlier stage?
Why have we not been given more information, so that we can give a properly informed response?
Why were all the council aims lumped together in a single question, instead of evaluated separately?
The proposed scheme may well achieve some aims better than others or even at the expense of others. We, as members of the public, and you, as planners, need to be able to weigh up the extent to which different objectives are likely to be met/ not met/ or even negatively affected.
I agree with Tim Hoyle’s comments, I was in Holmfirth a few days ago and witnessed grid lock due to three articulated lorries blocking roads/crossings and access. I would like to know what will be done about these heavy lorries coming through after the ‘improvements’ are made.
Won’t any road improvements just encourage more commercial traffic ? There are already weight restrictions that do not appear to have any effect.
I travel through Holmfirth twice a day to and from work in New Mill. With the proposals I would be seriously concerned about the ability of the initial stretch of Hollowgate to cope with heavy vehicles. There is also heavy pedestrian activity in this area at times especially weekends and I am concerned about vehicle pedestrian conflict.