Kirklees Together

On Tuesday 12 March Cabinet has approved plans to progress with a collaborative approach to develop a blueprint for Marsden.

What is the Marsden Blueprint?

The Marsden Blueprint will be an opportunity for us to work with the community to develop plans for investment in the town centre over the next decade and beyond.

Marsden is the latest Kirklees town where we are taking a ‘blueprint’ approach to development. Plans for investment are set to holistically address different challenges within the town centre, taking into account this unique town centre and the priorities for local people.

The key catalyst for this is the investment being made by government through the Levelling Up Fund, along with the planned investment as part of the Trans Pennine Route Upgrade

In March 2023 £5.6m was allocated from the government’s Levelling Up Fund for the redevelopment of New Mills on Brougham Road in the centre of Marsden to provide a mix of commercial, retail, and residential spaces. Furthermore, investment is being made to Marsden railway station and the rail line as part of the Trans Pennine Route Upgrade which will help improve journeys between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York.

What can you expect? 

The Marsden Blueprint will build on this investment, and the successful ‘What matters to Marsden’ Place Standard engagement activities, which have been organised by Marsden Community Trust and local partners. It will consider the wider public realm, transport, and commercial opportunities that are needed. This will provide a structured approach to help unlock Marsden’s full potential as a thriving, accessible and quality place that people want to live in, work in and visit.

What happens next?

We understand how important it is to embed a place based approach when developing a long-term vision to create a sense of ownership and pride with residents, businesses, and partners. So, one of the first steps for the Marsden Blueprint, will be to establish a community partnership. This is to ensure that local representatives, such as businesses, landowners, community groups and schools have an active role in the plans for their town.

The development of the Masterplan will also involve engagement with the wider community and key partners.

Once a community partnership is established, we will procure external support for the masterplan, and undertake engagement to ensure the community and key partners can share their views on the future of Marsden as we progress; with the aim of developing the Blueprint by December 2024.

Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet member for Finance and Regeneration said:

‘’It’s fantastic to see proposals that are focussed on a collaborative approach for Marsden. Giving residents, businesses, and partners a sense of pride and ownership of the blueprint is essential to be able to create a thriving town centre and become a catalyst for further opportunities to drive economic growth and investment.

A common approach that the council is taking across all Kirklees blueprints are the aims to reduce traffic, improving air quality, to provide employment opportunities, reduce out-commuting and drive economic growth and investment. Marsden will be no different.’

This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. In June 2023 Cabinet approved the use of UK Shared Prosperity Funding, to develop a masterplan for Marsden.