Huddersfield town centre £210m revamp gets green light

Plans to revamp the centre of Huddersfield have moved a step closer after the council released £5.6m towards its development.

The £210m Our Cultural Heart project would see the town's Queensgate Market refurbished and the nearby library converted into a museum and gallery.

A new library would be built as well as a live entertainment venue and a car park and public squares.

Work is expected to start next spring and be completed by winter 2025.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a meeting of Kirklees Council was told the original plans have been altered to reduce costs.

Plans to house the new art gallery and museum in separate buildings have been dropped and both will now occupy the former Grade II-listed library building.

This will see the building that was once earmarked for an art gallery freed up.

The council is exploring ways to transform the vacant plot into a science, technology, English and maths (STEM) block for Greenhead College. If this proposal is not successful, the building could become homes or a hotel, the meeting heard.

Councillor Graham Turner described the scheme as being at the "green light" stage.

"We've got planning permission, we have a contractor who we're now working with and hopefully we can look forward to a spade in the ground on a start date of quarter one 2024," he said.

Phase one of the works will concentrate on the major refurbishment of the Queensgate Market site, which will be transformed into a new food hall and modern library along with a brand-new outdoor public square.

The Labour leader of the council, Shabir Pandor, said: "I look forward to seeing this important regeneration project come to life and see the positive effect it will have on Huddersfield town centre for generations to come."

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