Though spades are in the ground, delays have struck Huddersfield’s £262m Cultural Heart project, and a question mark still hangs over part of the scheme.
Previously, Kirklees Council had set 2030 as the date construction of the major development would be wrapped up but now, this has been pushed back until 2031, according to the Our Cultural Heart website.
Delays have also hit Phase 1 of the scheme which is currently underway and will see a new food hall and library built in the former Queensgate Market building, along with a public square outside. This part of the project was expected to be open to the public by Winter 2025 but this date has now shifted to Summer 2026.
A progress update on the wider scheme will be given at next week’s meeting of the council’s Growth and Regeneration Scrutiny Panel, with a report to the meeting giving further insight, including the status of the Queen Street development. This comes as Phase 3 of the project.
It had previously been proposed that the vacant plot at Queen Street would be used by Greenhead College as a Science Technology English and Maths (STEM) block. However, the college missed out on its funding bid.
The last the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported on the matter, the college was in talks with the council to explore alternative streams of funding. Since then, the college has withdrawn its interest from the site. This leaves the council exploring alternative uses, with a new hotel or residential development among the options being considered.
The report also sets out what is included in the future phases of the project. Phase 2 covers the museum, gallery and public realm, and is expected to be up and running by early 2029.
The latest plans for this part of the scheme are awaiting approval for Listed Building Consent. This comes after financial pressures prompted the council to house the museum and gallery in the same building, rather than separately as was originally intended.
Phase 3 is reference to the Queen Street Plot and Phase 4 will see the construction of a new park. The final phase, Phase 5, features a new venue and multi-storey car park.
