It’s an “incredibly exciting time” for Dewsbury, a senior cllr has said, as plans for the town’s market and park get the go-ahead.
Permission has now been granted to allow Kirklees Council’s updates to Dewsbury Market, along with the creation of a brand new town park. The two projects are a key part of the overarching Dewsbury Blueprint and will sit side by side in the centre of the town, once completed.
The town park – which will be the largest green space within the town centre, and the first dedicated outdoor area for children to safely play and socialise – is set to create several new draws to attract residents and visitors alike, the council says.
The recently approved plans include lots of open green spaces, seating and a substantial, partially enclosed play area, which will have interesting features for children of all ages to engage with and enjoy. There is space for potential water features and more art, created with the involvement of the local community.
The town park blends into the market’s outdoor offering – where food and drink can be enjoyed outside, and demountable stalls will allow for both an outdoor market area and a flexible space to support events. This area transitions into the indoor market, which will also be kitted out for a variety of different kinds of markets and events, whilst retaining the building’s historic structure and character.
Now accepted, the plans for Dewsbury Market will create a more varied, day-to-night offering in Dewsbury town centre, the council adds. The local authority says it aims to continue and improve the traditional market offering, while at the same time creating more areas for eating, drinking, socialising and events, giving people as many reasons as possible to visit Dewsbury.
The area surrounding the connected park will also be changing. Foundry Street will become greener and more pedestrian-friendly, creating an improved connection to the neighbouring Dewsbury Arcade – set to reopen next year, around the same time work on the market and park is due to begin.
The whole space covered by these plans will be visible from the ring road, which the council says will create a “much more inviting” impression of Dewsbury town centre. The development will also “greatly increase” the number of trees in the area.
The local authority has identified ongoing maintenance as one of its top priorities, with all features being extremely durable as well as easy to clean and maintain, to ensure every aspect of the space can benefit the town centre for many years to come.
Designing out crime, to create a safer town centre by design is also a key consideration across these plans, the council says. Full visibility from end to end of the park – including the outdoor market space when demountable stalls are down – is part of the design to allow for enjoyable views, adults to easily supervise their children in the park, and a safer, more open thoroughfare for those crossing the town centre.
The council worked with the Dewsbury Town Board and architects from the Building Design Partnership (BDP) Ltd. to develop designs for both the market and town park. The local authority says it made sure that these designs took into consideration the public consultation previously undertaken on both elements, and all the feedback given by traders and local people.
Now this planning application has been accepted, the designs will continue to evolve and develop between now and work starting on-site. With planning permission in place, more scoping will be done on certain aspects, and the council will continue to work with architects, developers and current market traders.
Cllr Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance & Regeneration, said: “Once we unveiled our updated plans for Dewsbury Market, the adjoining park was very much the missing piece. These are both aspects of the town we know local people greatly care about, and they have a huge part to play in Dewsbury’s future.
“This approved planning application marries these two key elements within our Dewsbury Blueprint, and shows how different this part of town is going to look within the next few years – not even taking into account the amount of work we’re doing elsewhere in the town centre.
“It’s an incredibly exciting time for Dewsbury, these plans confirm our commitment to delivering investment to regenerate Dewsbury over the next few years and I can’t wait for us to get started.”
Keith Ramsay, Chair of the Dewsbury Neighbourhood Board, said: “This is a huge milestone for both Dewsbury Market and the new town park, which we can now say with surety will be combined to completely reshape this part of our beautiful town.
“My tenure leading the Dewsbury Neighbourhood Board has seen us face tremendous challenges in order to push forward with improvements to the town centre, and it’s taken a lot of time and hard work from so many people – so I’m tremendously excited to reach this milestone and to know that we can now move forward.
“These are plans that will truly see Dewsbury town centre brought back to life, supporting the soon-to-reopen arcade and other town centre businesses, and cementing all we’re doing to future-proof Dewsbury’s heritage as a traditional market town – whilst creating a town centre that can thrive for future generations.”
