Kirklees Council’s Cabinet has approved funding for the next phase of Huddersfield town centre’s regeneration programme, Our Cultural Heart.
Work is already well underway on phase one of the scheme which will see the old Queensgate market reinvigorated as a community hub and leisure space with a library, food hall, new public square designed for socialising and events. Plans presented earlier this year set out the council’s ambitions for phase two of the project.
This will see the four-storey former library, one of Huddersfield town centre’s most imposing and historically significant buildings, become a brand-new museum and art gallery with a 50-seat café with outdoor terrace.
The plans include a sympathetic new extension which will improve accessibility, and better connecting the building with the outdoor space and the wider Our Cultural Heart.
Councillors agreed the release of £5.413m from the overall project budget for Phase 2. This funding will be used to progress the next stage of Phase 2 contractor procurement and design.
In addition to the Phase 2 funding, £250K will also be released for work on the programme master plan. This study will take a deep dive into plans for later stages of the programme. The aim of the study is to investigate how the council can complete delivery of Our Cultural Heart without additional capital borrowing, whilst ensuring minimal impact on the project’s overarching ambitions.
There will also be some reallocation of capital funding from the overall programme budget to allow for the delivery of specific services within Our Cultural Heart. This includes £371K to allow the West Yorkshire Archive Service to deliver services from library, and £50K to prepare for future events in the public square.
The report also includes details of service operating costs, and proposals for how these would be funded. This includes the budget for the essential interior design and functionality required for opening a world class museum and gallery.
The report indicates that the Museum’s Service will be looking to identify additional forms of funding to cover the up to £14.480m costs, but that it may be reallocated from within the programme budget if this is not achieved.
Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “Our Cultural Heart is our most ambitious regeneration programme, when completed it will bring a new, community-centred arts and leisure offer to the town, providing cultural activities to enjoy during the day and into the evening.
“It will play a significant role in making Huddersfield a family-friendly, prosperous town centre which provides exciting places to live, work or visit.
“As with all large regeneration schemes, there are hurdles to jump and challenges to overcome, a worldwide pandemic and wars in other countries have of course made things even more complex. This has meant we’ve had to continually assess our finances and prioritise spend that will lead to the successful delivery of the first phases of the scheme, whilst still allowing for exciting new developments in the future.
“Releasing the funds demonstrates our commitment to delivering something everyone can be proud of and doing that in a way that delivers real changes on the ground in the next few years.
“Regeneration is not just about bricks and mortar. Our ambition is to give local people and visitors more reasons to spend time in the town centre. By increasing footfall, and in turn commercial opportunities, our plans will also benefit existing and future businesses from all sectors. Thriving businesses in turn provide employment opportunities for our communities.
“Huddersfield has a bright future, and I am proud to be part of it.”
