It’s all part of the Kirklees Cultural Heart plan.
An official planning application has been launched for the Cultural Heart development in Huddersfield that could see the town centre transformed.
The new plans involve a brand new live entertainment venue, complete with 350-space car park; a modern art gallery; community-focused library and a food hall and dedicated museum space, all sitting alongside a refurbishment of the Queensgate Market and Huddersfield Library buildings.
The planning application notes that this would see the demolition of the existing Piazza shopping centre and part removal of Queensgate Market and the site would then be redeveloped for the new public realm space. The Queensgate Market Hall would be repurposed for the new proposed food hall
The new vision for the town centre would take place over the next 10 years, with “world-class public space and green parks” also forming an important part of the plan to transform Huddersfield.
The Huddersfield Cultural Heart has been in the works for months, receiving a great amount of input from the local community. 8,000 people engaged online and nearly 600 people attended the various in-person exhibitions to learn about the plans.
Huddersfield City Council reports that the feedback from both the public and stakeholders has been positive.
Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said:
“This is an important milestone for Huddersfield and the wider Kirklees district. A huge amount of work has gone into getting us to this stage and we look forward to people viewing the final plans and designs.”
“This is a game changing scheme that will provide a huge boost to our region and local economy, giving people many more reasons to visit and stay in our centre. The Cultural Heart will be a destination for people of all ages and demographics, and something for us all to be proud of as locals.”
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Plans could begin as soon as 2024, but the plans will still need to be approved at a Local Planning Authority committee later this year.
For more information about the plans, The Kirklees Cultural Heart is now available to view on the Huddersfield planning portal, with the option to add your own comments available until Monday 14 November 2022.
Feature Image- Unsplash
