First new visuals of updated Dewsbury Market plans
We’re releasing the very first new visuals of updated plans for Dewsbury Market!
What’s happened so far?
Dewsbury Market has always been one of the key focal points of our ambitious Dewsbury Blueprint – which lays out our plans for investment in the future of the town centre. The blueprint is all about bringing more activity into Dewsbury, making it more attractive and accessible, and creating more vibrant and varied reasons for people to visit.
Over the past year, initial plans for the market have been re-evaluated and re-costed in a lot of detail. There are several reasons for this – construction costs have risen a lot over the last few years and, much like the rest of the country, we’ve been handling unforeseen financial pressures in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Throughout this work, our goals have been to make sure final plans make the best use of budget, and also provide the best results for both local traders and shoppers. We also want these plans to support other parts of the blueprint, like the Dewsbury Arcade, by bringing more footfall into the town centre.
What are the new plans?
The focus of our new plans for the market is around creating a more varied offering that encourages lots of different people, with lots of different interests, to visit the market – and gives them reasons to visit throughout the day and into the night.
As well as continuing – and improving – the traditional market offering, we’ll be creating more areas for eating, drinking, socialising and events.
Over the next few months we’ll be sharing detailed information on the new designs, but we’re now ready to release the very first visuals. At the moment, these are just to show you how the spaces will be used, and to give you an idea of the look and feel of the new market. Individual items like stall designs, tables and chairs might look a bit different, but you can start to see how the market will change and what different areas will become!
This shows a paved space just outside the market. In the image, you can see it’s taken up by chairs and tables where visitors to the market can enjoy the new food and drink offering. The outdoor market will also be located here, but on other occasions the space can be transformed for a variety of outdoor events and socialising.
This shows part of the inside of the market. You can see market stalls both inside and outside, and this space in the middle could be used in lots of different ways depending on the day. The market is open and well-lit, and you can see that we’ve incorporated the historic glass roof design that’s so strongly associated with the market at the moment – but we’ve refurbished it for a more modern look and feel.
This is another interior shot of the market. You can see this area is bordered by specially designed food and beverage stalls, with indoor seating at the centre. A digital screen mounted on the wall would support us in using this area for events, as would the option of a stage at the far side of the space. This area is also well-lit by the refurbished historic glass roof.
Here we’re outside again, looking at one of the main entrances to the market. This gives you the best idea of the work done to make the indoor and outdoor spaces within Dewsbury Market feel more light, open and better connected – you can see indoor stallholders from outside, and vice versa. Again, the outdoor market will be in this paved space, which can also be transformed for outdoor events and socialising.
How have these new plans been developed?
The new plans have built on all the consultation previously undertaken. This means that if you got involved and shared your views early on in the process, we’ve taken your feedback into account when creating the new designs.
We’ve also continued doing research into other successful modern-day market towns, to look at how we can not only return Dewsbury Market to its former glory but also future-proof it for many years to come.
What happens next?
At the moment, we’re working closely with our architects for the market, BDP, to finalise the crucial details. We’ve already made sure that the new plans will meet all our requirements, and can be achieved within budget, but there are lots more details within this which we are looking forward to sharing once confirmed.
Over the next few months we’ll be sharing these details – alongside lots more visuals.
Once these details have been shared, first and foremost we’ll be asking Dewsbury Market traders to share their views and engage with us on our next steps. This engagement will be taking place towards the end of the year.
Councillor Cathy Scott, Leader of Kirklees Council and Ward Councillor for Dewsbury East, says:
“I can’t overstate how excited I am to finally be able to release these images, and tell people the new plans are just around the corner.
“We’ve been doing so much work behind the scenes over the last year, and I know how difficult it is when people can’t see the work being done or the amount of consideration that goes into each and every decision.
“At the moment, these first few images are just to give you an idea of the look and feel of the new market. But they’re also to reassure local residents and traders that plans for the market are still progressing – more than that, we’re nearly at the point where we can share the full detail publicly.
“We began the work of reevaluating and recosting plans for Dewsbury Market before the current economic difficulties were fully known, but it’s now more important than ever that we ensure every aspect of these designs makes the best use of our budget.
“That said, despite financial challenges, we have never once given up on our ambitions for the market or for Dewsbury town centre, and we know how important and long-awaited these plans are – they have to be right, and they have to deliver transformative change for my hometown.
“I can honestly say I believe this new, improved market will transform Dewsbury town centre, and future-proof one of our greatest assets for not just years but generations to come.”
Councillor Yusra Hussain, Cabinet Member for Culture & Greener, says:
“This work to bring Dewsbury Market into the twenty-first century is something we’ve been excited about for a very long time. It ties in with a lot of wider work we’re doing across Kirklees to protect and future-proof our historic market towns, not just sustaining but building on that traditional market offering.
“For many of these towns, a thriving market has historically been a pivotal part of the local economy. While the way we shop is changing, we know that markets are still a great way to support local traders – whilst also providing warm and friendly places local people can meet, shop and socialise. We want to help our markets keep up with the change in shopping habits by creating a more varied offering that everyone can enjoy, helping them remain at the heart of our towns for many years to come.”
Keith Ramsay, Chair of the Dewsbury Town Deal Board, says:
“We have huge ambitions for Dewsbury town centre, and it’s no secret that it’s been slow going with a number of our larger projects over the last few years. The recosting of the market plans has taken time, as these things do, but we have never lost sight of what we want the market to offer for future generations.
“Between ourselves and the council, we have been continuously pushing for a design which will meet the requirements laid out through past consultation with the public and with our valued local traders. It’s absolutely crucial we deliver this, to support our town’s economy for many years to come – but we’re working to deliver it at a time where the national economy is struggling, and Kirklees is no exception.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be able to move forward, and share the first few visuals ahead of full plans being released later this year. I hope this news will also give a boost to the Arcade Group’s fantastic plans for the Dewsbury Arcade, as the extra footfall brought in by the market will definitely support our other retail offerings in Dewsbury town centre.”