Kirklees Together

We are looking to secure £25million in funding to create a vibrant cultural quarter in Huddersfield Town Centre, with a new library, art gallery and museum, as well as a new live music venue, all part of the plans.

How much money are we bidding for?

We are bidding for £25million from the Government’s High Street Fund to deliver a new cultural and arts quarter around the Huddersfield Library and Queensgate Market area of the town centre.

What are the plans for the funding?

The exciting plans, which are still in the early stages, would include a significantly enhanced Huddersfield Library and Art Gallery and a new museum alongside the Lawrence Batley Theatre and new 700-1,000 capacity live music venue, if the bid is successful.

So, what are the benefits of the funding?

It is hoped that this could transform Huddersfield Town Centre, increase footfall and boost the night-time economy. It would also better connect The University of Huddersfield to the town centre.

Huddersfield Town Centre Masterplan

This would form part of an ambitious Huddersfield Town Centre Masterplan, which is currently being drafted and is set to be revealed in spring, 2019. It is also part of our overall commitment to regenerating Kirklees’ town centres.

What’s happened to the other the other money that has been allocated?

Our Cabinet has recently allocated £45million to regenerate Huddersfield and Dewsbury town centres, as well as a further £25million to support key projects which will help reshape the whole of Kirklees.

Further funding has also been secured

Further funding has also been secured from the West Yorkshire Transport Fund for a variety of transport-related projects which we are busy developing and consulting on, totalling over £150 million of investment.

We will be monitoring future High Street Fund funding rounds which are due later this year and in 2020, with a view to bid for Dewsbury Town Centre next.  This would help support our Dewsbury plan, which details millions in investment for the area.

Cllr Shabir Pandor, Leader of Kirklees Council, said:

“It’s clear to see that we are an ambitious and innovative council that is investing to ensure Kirklees is a great place to live, work and do business.
It’s crucial that we get this right and in order for a modern day town centre to thrive it needs to have a more diverse offer. We recognise that in an age of online shopping, people want to have experiences in their town centres and culture is at the heart of this.
The future of our town centres is a huge priority for us. Whilst we’re bidding for funding for Huddersfield in this case, we’re working on a range of projects to improve our other town centres too.”

This latest funding round of the Government’s High Street Fund closes on 22 March.

Cllr Peter McBride, Cabinet Member for Economy, said:

“Our ambition for Huddersfield Town Centre will be captured in the emerging masterplan which we’ll be sharing in the coming months. However, we cannot miss out on what could be vital funding.
Clearly, this is not the only project identified in the masterplan but bringing better experiences to the town centre is crucial to increasing footfall and attracting more visitors. Town centres have changed and we can no longer rely on retail alone.
We want our town centres to have something for everyone, including families, and this would be a huge step forward.”

How are future plans being supported?

Any future regeneration plans in Huddersfield Town Centre are being supported by a number of investments to improve its appearance and infrastructure.

What has other investments been spent on?

In October last year the we invested £2.5million to deliver the Huddersfield Town Centre Design Framework which ensures that all future public realm and road repair works in the town centre meet the same high standard.

In February 2019 Cabinet also allocated £1.2million with businesses to improve the shop fronts of historic and listed premises.