The future of four major regeneration schemes in Kirklees is currently unclear, awaiting clarification from the new government.
Kirklees Council put the bids forward to the Levelling Up Fund under the previous Tory government, with each one eventually seeing success. Initially, plans to regenerate Batley town centre were given a £12m cash boost, followed by Marsden Mills, which was allocated £5.6m.
In November 2023, we reported that a further £64.5m had been awarded in the third round of funding, with this to be split across Huddersfield Open Market (£16.6m) and the Penistone Line Railway (£48m).
However, with the election of the new Labour government, a question mark hangs over the future of Kirklees’ four schemes and what will happen to previously awarded Levelling Up Funding. It is understood that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will be setting out further detail in due course.
Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance & Regeneration, said: “Like other local authorities up and down the country, we’re awaiting the new government and chancellor’s first budget on 30 October, which will give us more clarity on what investment over the next few years will look like – including the Levelling-Up Fund.”
Below is a reminder of the four schemes:
Huddersfield Open Market
The majority of the £18m project is to be funded by the government. Earlier this year, the council released new, detailed images of how the market revamp could look and said construction is expected to get underway next year.
If all goes to plan, the market will boast an improved traditional market, a better food and drinks offering to complement the selection in the surrounding area, with a ‘market hall’ and ‘market yard’, which together provide a mix of permanent leased units and demountable stalls.
Space for both indoor and outdoor events has also been factored in, with a stage and screen to be situated in the market hall.
However, Yorkshire-based think tank, Same Skies, warned the local authority to “tread very carefully” over its market plans and wants a number of points addressed before the council pushes ahead.
The Penistone Line Railway
The cash boost was awarded for major improvements on the Penistone rail line which runs between Huddersfield, Penistone and Sheffield, via Barnsley. The route provides a key link between communities and provides an alternative to road travel.
Capacity issues and other constraints like speed limits of 50mph or less being in place, or only one train per hour being able to travel between Huddersfield and Barnsley have been said to hinder connectivity and be off-putting to commuters who have turned to other forms of transport.
These factors have all contributed to the lengthy journey times, averaging 1 hour 15 minutes, end to end.
The plans include station improvements to create better access and waiting facilities, increasing the speed of travel along the line and upgrading the rail infrastructure – including doubling sections of track, to allow for two trains to travel on the northern section of the line every hour, in both directions.
Batley town centre
The plans for Batley include making significant changes to Commercial Street – one of the main routes through the town centre.
According to the council, the route would move away from being a thoroughfare dominated by car traffic, with improvements to the public realm as well as sustainable transport routes, opening up the town centre for improved business and market opportunities.
A socialising space would be created, with the aim of increasing footfall to local businesses and improving access to the Tesco supermarket. Improved pedestrian and cycle links to the park and better lighting along local routes are also a feature.
When the funding was announced in January last year, the council said it hoped that the transformation could stimulate up to £60m of economic investment into Batley over the next few years.
Marsden Mills
The plans for New Mills, or Crowther’s Mill as it is known by locals, has already hit upon a hitch regardless of the future of Levelling Up Funding.
The transformative multi-million-pound development was branded “unviable” in June, despite the planned £5.6m LUF investment and a further £11.7m of private sector funding. This was revealed in pre-application documents to one of the council’s planning committees.
Of the proposals that cinched the government funding, the report said: “The pre-applicant team have since recalculated that option’s viability (in light of increased costs) and has found that, even with the DLUHC (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) funding, it is now unviable and would require additional funding to bridge the gap.”
Now, a different option is preferred by the applicant, though this too was reported to be unviable.
The proposed developments would make way for offices, flats and industrial units. There would also be pedestrian access across the River Colne which runs along part of the site’s northern edge, and two-way vehicular access from Brougham Road, with another point of access proposed from Crowther Bruce Mill Road.
