The Dewsbury Blueprint is a 10-year plan aimed at honouring the heritage of this beautiful town and building on recent investments.
The plan aims to deliver nine key aims for Dewsbury town centre, focusing on:
• Businesses
• Learning
• Leisure
• Shoppers
• Living in Dewsbury
• Heritage
• Making the town greener
• Connections and transport
Here you will find the most up-to-date information on all our projects throughout Dewsbury town centre.
- Dewsbury Creative Town Arts Programme – Taking The Lead
- Dewsbury Creative Town Arts Programme – Funding from Arts Council England
- Work to transform Fieldhouse into beautiful new Station Apartments
- Dewsbury Youth Voice champions
- Cabinet approves new development on Daisy Hill
Did you Take the Lead and have your say on upcoming events in Dewsbury?
We’re planning a huge range of events for the coming year – and our first ‘Taking the Lead’ event in January is helping to put together this programme!
What is the Taking the Lead programme?
The ‘Taking the Lead’ programme is part of the Dewsbury Town Investment Plan, which summarises how we plan to boost Dewsbury’s economy and long-term prosperity. ‘Taking the Lead’ is all about capitalising on our creative culture in and around Dewsbury, celebrating local artists of all kind, and using art and music to bring communities together.
What was the first event?
On Saturday 21 January, the programme’s first public event was held in Dewsbury bus station as part of the Kirklees Year of Music – our annual programme to celebrate Kirklees’ rich and diverse musical heritage.
Hundreds of Saturday commuters got to enjoy performances from the Dewsbury Community Choir, Grange Moor Brass Band and local musician Simon Walker.
As well as brightening everyone’s day, the event served an important purpose for the programme. Taking the Lead staff, alongside young volunteers, spoke to people travelling through the bus station to find out more about what they’d like to see from ‘Taking the Lead’.
They spoke about what types of music and events they’d be interested in attending in Dewsbury over the coming year, about places they enjoy in the town currently, and activities they enjoy.
At various points throughout the day, the team were joined by MP Mark Eastwood, as well as Councillors Eric Firth and Cathy Scott, both Cabinet Members and councillors from Dewsbury East Ward.
Councillor Eric Firth, Cabinet Member for Transport and ward councillor for Dewsbury East, says:
“Culture is a key part of what we’re trying to achieve here in Dewsbury. We have such a thriving culture in and around the town, including a fantastic musical scene. As we work to help our economy thrive and also make Dewsbury a better place to live and work, this is such a beautiful thing to tap into. Over the next year we want to support more local artists, and bring the joy of music to more people in Kirklees – whatever that means for them.”
What’s happening next?
An exciting programme of events and activities is currently being developed across the year, including Woven, the Festival of Conversations, and Kirklees Year of Music. We’re working with lots of local live music venues and artists to provide a huge range of opportunities for people to enjoy music – or even get involved in making it!
We’re currently working with the Leggers Inn to support a fantastic Dewsbury Pride event, the Socialist Club to develop some new open mic nights, and Dewsbury Town Hall to set up some amazing jazz and live cinema events throughout the year.
We’ll also be developing a programme of workshops for young people, again working with local artists and providing opportunities for people to take part at all levels.
How can I get involved?
You can find out more about our upcoming programme of events through the Kirklees Year of Music, and you can watch out for more updates here and on our social media! We’re also on the lookout for amazing local performers, venues, and everything in between. If you’d like to put yourself or your business forward, we’d love to hear from you! You can also find opportunities through the Kirklees Year of Music, or get in touch with us directly
At the end of 2022, our Dewsbury Creative Town Arts Programme secured a grant of nearly £30k from Arts Council England to take art even further within the town.
What is the Dewsbury Creative Town Arts Programme?
The Dewsbury Creative Town Arts Programme is part of our Blueprint plans to breathe new life into the town centre. It already includes a range of permanent and temporary public art installations around Dewsbury.
Through this £200k initiative, we’re working with arts organisation Beam to provide an array of opportunities for people to engage with art, and for local entrepreneurs to engage in the commissioning process – benefitting local residents, businesses and community groups all at once. The programme also creates a unique platform for both emerging and established artists to be creative out and about, and have their work in the public eye as we celebrate Dewsbury.
What will the money be used for?
The Arts Council funding, totalling £29,750, is a fantastic addition to the £200k already committed to the Dewsbury Creative Town Arts Programme by Kirklees Council.
This new funding will go towards a number of collaborative projects aimed at providing opportunities for artists early in their career, and towards helping Dewsbury locals explore the story of the town’s changing landscape.
The project will include a mixture of public art, craft, film and digital media, as well as looking to engage people through conversation and opportunities to explore Dewsbury and the surrounding area.
How will this be delivered?
Since funding was awarded in December, work has already begun to deliver the project. We’re working with key local partners, including the Pioneer Higher Skills Centre at Kirklees College and the Kirklees Community Cohesion Team. We’ll also continue to prioritise working with lots of local artists.
What’s confirmed so far?
Manasamitra, a Dewsbury-based organisation led by artists, has been commissioned to develop a series of podcasts and guided walks for people to explore the past, present and future of the town.
Dewsbury-born Zachary Eastwood-Bloom has also been commissioned to create designs for a series of artworks which will be displayed in Dewsbury town park. Zachary’s process involves combining handmade techniques with the use of digital technology. Through this project, he will also be mentoring another Kirklees-based artist, Karen Stansfield, and looking to engage more young people and share his process through workshops.
Councillor Eric Firth, Cabinet Member for Transport and ward councillor for Dewsbury East, says:
“It’s fantastic news that the council is boosting its investment in culture once again – especially at a time of major economic and mental health challenges. We’re unlocking the huge potential of the arts to enrich lives, communities and local businesses. We want to ensure that residents from all backgrounds can enjoy the rich and diverse cultural highlights Dewsbury has to offer, and can participate in new cultural projects in their local communities.
“Bringing in creatives from Dewsbury is the perfect way to support the Dewsbury Creative Arts Programme, and we hugely value this opportunity to work with Manasamitra and Zachary Eastwood-Bloom.”
Kate Watson, Programme Manager for Dewsbury Creative Town, says:
“We’re delighted to have been awarded funding from the Arts Council, and this additional resource will enable us to deliver some exciting projects as part of the overall programme.
“The funding will also create a legacy for the programme in years to come, by creating vital opportunities for early career artists, inspiring the next generation of creatives, and empowering residents to get involved in the future of the town.”
Work to transform Fieldhouse into beautiful new Station Apartments will begin this spring
Work is set to start onsite at Fieldhouse within the next two months, to begin transforming this beautiful building into state-of-the-art Station Apartments.
What is Fieldhouse?
Fieldhouse is perfectly situated – an impressive, Grade II* Listed, four-storey building right opposite Dewsbury Railway Station. It’s part of the area around Daisy Hill and Bond Street, which is one of the key areas marked for development as part of the Dewsbury Blueprint.
This whole area is a particularly fantastic location to make the most of Dewsbury’s excellent transport connections, which are only set to improve once work is completed on the Transpennine Route Upgrade. Thanks to its historic significance, it’s also part of the Dewsbury Town Centre Conservation Area and the Dewsbury Heritage Action Zone (HAZ), a protected status awarded by Historic England.
What’s happened so far?
Fieldhouse has already been purchased by Mood Developments, who immediately sought all the permissions required to bring the building back to life.
Last year Kirklees Council’s Cabinet approved a £ 2.83 million grant to kickstart the work, following an initial investment of £ 1.38 million from the Dewsbury Town Deal.
What are the plans?
A new neighbourhood is set to be created around Daisy Hill through the Blueprint work, made up of homes which are both excellent quality and affordable to rent or buy.
Once completed, the neighbourhood will feature both brand-new buildings and beautifully converted ones. The plan will give Fieldhouse – and other buildings – a new purpose and lease of life, and will future-proof some of Dewsbury’s beautiful historic architecture for future generations.
Fieldhouse itself will be the flagship of the development, transformed into 23 spacious apartments and commercial space. Once finished, this building will be known as Station Apartments.
What’s happening now?
Mood Developments are currently getting ready to start construction on Fieldhouse to transform it into Station Apartments.
The first shovels should be in the ground within the next two months. After that, it’ll take about 12 months to complete.
Councillor Eric Firth, Cabinet Member for Transport and ward councillor for Dewsbury East, says:
“These apartments will start to create a new benchmark for housing in Dewsbury, and we can’t wait to see the end result.
“While there’s so much work going on behind the scenes in planning for Dewsbury’s future, we’re starting to see real, tangible changes this year, starting with the beginning of developments on Daisy Hill. It’s incredibly exciting.”
Dewsbury has one of the youngest and most diverse populations of any town in the UK. For this reason, we’re keen to make sure Dewsbury’s young people are represented as we plan for the town centre’s future.
Who are the Youth Voice Champions?
The Youth Voice Champions are a diverse group of young people who have volunteered to be more involved in our regeneration projects.
Its members are students at Kirklees College, recruited by members of the Dewsbury Town Deal Board, with whom the council are working closely on all things Dewsbury Blueprint.
What’s happened so far?
The Youth Voice Champions have been given a walking tour of the ambitious transformations planned through the Dewsbury Blueprint. They were invited to discuss lots of different aspects of our regeneration projects in Dewsbury, both offering their own perspectives and being able to pose questions and challenge us in return.
What happens next?
A member of the Youth Voice Champions, Anum Rehman, will also be a member of the Dewsbury Town Board, and will be heavily involved in our consultation around Blueprint projects.
Together with the Town Board, we’re looking at more opportunities for the Youth Voice Champions to network with other key players in the Blueprint, and help us improve the ways we engage with the public around the exciting changes.
Councillor Eric Firth, Cabinet Member for Transport and ward councillor for Dewsbury East, says:
“Here in Dewsbury, we have one of the youngest and most diverse populations in the UK. It’s incredibly important that we capture the views of our young people, and take them forward as we plan for Dewsbury’s future. Essentially, they are Dewsbury’s future.
“As a council, we’re continuing to look at the ways we engage with local people on local projects, including major transformation. We want to give everyone who lives, works or studies in Kirklees opportunities to have their say, and get involved in what our future looks like.”
Keith Ramsay, Chair of the Dewsbury Town Deal Board, says:
“The Dewsbury Town Deal Board has recruited these Youth Voice Champions to help us find more ways to engage with young people in Dewsbury, and a wider cross-section of our local population overall. Already they’ve shared some great insights and challenging questions, and there’s great value in what we’re doing here.
“These changes should be for everyone, and we’re committed and excited to keep working with the Youth Voice Champions going forward.”
Anum Rehman, Youth Voice Champion and new member of the Dewsbury Town Deal Board, says:
“I’m interested in future changes to Dewsbury, since it’s my hometown and the place I was raised. I currently study public services, and I want my future career to be helping and protecting people in the community.
“Learning about the Dewsbury Blueprint and engaging with the Town Board, I felt heard and validated – as the youth of Dewsbury, we are valued enough to be informed, allowed to have a say and share opinions on the future of our hometown too. I can see that these changes are being made for the youth of Dewsbury, the future of our society.”
Today, Kirklees Council’s Cabinet have approved work on another prominent building in Daisy Hill, in Dewsbury.
Why Daisy Hill?
Daisy Hill is one of the key areas we’re developing as part of our ambitious Dewsbury Blueprint. We’re creating a new neighbourhood in this area. Made up of homes which are both excellent quality and affordable to rent or buy. Once the new neighbourhood is finished, it’ll feature both brand new buildings and beautiful, older structures which we’ve converted – like this one.
What’s this project?
Today Cabinet have approved work on the building at 6-10 Westgate. It’s four storeys tall, and is made up of two commercial units on the ground floor with lots of space to create new homes above.
Above the commercial spaces, we’ll be creating three new one-bed homes and one two-bed. We’ll also be installing two new traditional shopfronts, and bringing some of the building’s original stone features back to life.
How does this fit into Dewsbury’s future?
This work would contribute to several of our overarching goals for the Dewsbury Blueprint. We’ll be providing more quality homes and encouraging more businesses into the town centre. We’ll also be future-proofing more of Dewsbury’s beautiful historic architecture.
Our wider aim in creating this new neighbourhood in Daisy Hill is to create a type of residential development which doesn’t currently exist in Dewsbury. Setting a new benchmark for the standard of this type of development in the town.
This project will provide more quality homes for those who work in Dewsbury but currently commute from further afield. As well as attracting more residents with higher disposable incomes, helping us bring more life into the town centre.
This work will follow the development of Fieldhouse. Soon to be Station Apartments, the flagship of the new Daisy Hill neighbourhood. Plans for Fieldhouse’s development were approved by Cabinet last year, and work is due to start within the next few months.
Who are we working with?
We’ll be working with Saleem Holdings on the development of 6-10 Westgate. They’ve already been closely involved in putting together the Cabinet proposal, and are contributing £240k funding to the project.
Throughout this process, we’ve encouraged Saleem Holdings to aspire to the standards set out in the Dewsbury Design Guide, which isn’t a planning consideration but is the benchmark we’re aiming for in any new developments in Dewsbury.
How is this work funded?
As well as the investment by our developer, Saleem Holdings, this work is also funded by both £671k from the Dewsbury Revival Grant Scheme – part of the government’s Towns Fund – and a £280k grant from Historic England’s Heritage Action Zones (HAZ).
Daisy Hill was awarded HAZ status in 2017, which means that Historic England considered the area to be ‘at risk’ and in need of urgent action to protect its history. It’s also part of the Dewsbury Town Centre Conservation Area.
Councillor Eric Firth, Cabinet Member for Transport and Dewsbury Ward Councillor, says:
“This project fits perfectly within our aspirations for the Dewsbury Blueprint. The Blueprint is about creating a better, more vibrant and varied town centre for both residents and businesses, and breathing new life into areas that have seen better days.
We’re very excited to work with Saleem Holdings on this development, as I know they’re as invested in the project – and in Dewsbury’s future – as we are.
With work on Fieldhouse, the flagship of this new neighbourhood, due to start within months, we’ll be starting to see Daisy Hill in a new light very soon”.