Plans to revitalise Wakefield’s Kirkgate area are getting underway, starting with the demolition of the ABC cinema to make way for much needed new housing in the city centre.
It’s the first step towards implementing the Wakefield Masterplan and comes swiftly on the heels of public endorsement and Cabinet approval of the plan.
The blueprint will see a modernised city centre that residents and businesses will be proud of and which will attract more visitors. The city will be modernised to meet the needs of future generations, reverse the decline of the high street and introduce more sustainable and active travel.
Cllr Denise Jeffery, leader of Wakefield Council, said: “We are moving at pace to implement this blueprint to ensure that we stay abreast of developments and demands by our residents, visitors and businesses so that Wakefield city can remain the bustling and vibrant hub of our local economy that it has always been.
“These exciting plans, for the creation of a Kirkgate Innovative Neighbourhood Gateway to the city, will see the creation of approximately 90 new homes, car parking facilities and improved public spaces.”
Cllr Darren Byford, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Property, said: “This is not about bricks and mortar. People are at the heart of this transformation that will make residents feel prouder and safer in the place they call home, create a vibrant high street and have great connections that appeal to residents and visitors and build a fairer future for all.
“Though it is led by the Council, which has secured millions of pounds in government funding, these plans are co-produced by residents and businesses who have shared their aspirations for a modernised city centre that stays in step with the trends across the UK to ensure city centres remain vibrant and attractive to all.”
The creation of the new ‘15-minute-village’ is part of the plan to create vibrant communities to help drive the local economy and improve the standard of living.
Demolition of the ABC Cinema is expected to start in April and be completed in the summer. The site will be home to approximately 90 new homes, car parking facilities and improved public spaces.
When demolition of the ABC cinema is completed in the summer 2022, the land will be temporarily landscaped and become a public open space pending the completion of acquisitions of other properties on the block.
Some of the older 1950s properties, which are reaching the end of their lifespan, will also be demolished later in 2022. The Harewood Arms, and some surrounding buildings, will remain.
Once acquisitions are completed and the site has been prepared, in late 2022 to early 2023, it will be put on the market for purchase by a developer for delivery of housing.
This is one of four projects being financed through the Government’s Towns Fund which has allocated £24.9 million for Wakefield city.
The Council’s investment in the city centre will see the creation of 4,000 square metres of new commercial space and a new 120-bed hotel at the old Westgate station and around 100 new homes to radically extend the city living offer.
The other projects are the Kirkgate Phase 2, Cathedral Precinct Public Realm Improvements.
Overall, the Council has secured more than £80million, primarily from Government funding, and will help in repurposing and positioning the city and towns to be thriving places that work for local communities to build a fairer future for all.
