New plans unveiled for Dewsbury town centre

Kirklees Council has published a regeneration blueprint for Dewsbury town centre, which could see up to £200m invested in the area.

Under the plans, Dewsbury’s famous market would undergo a revamp and the Arcade, which connects Market Place to Corporation Street would also be reopened to attract and retain a mix of retail, leisure and community facilities.

The blueprint also includes a proposal for a brand new office complex located on the underused Cliffe Street Car Park.

In addition, the council has said it will also relocate 750 of its own employees into the town to further boost the local economy.

There are also plans for three new green areas; a town park on Long Causeway, and pocket parks on the current 23 Northgate site and behind the market.

Dewsbury is already well connected, and proposed developments to the transpennine route will bring better and more reliable services.

Local travel will also be enhanced through the development of a new bus station, better pedestrian and cycle routes and improvements to the ring road.

‘We are incredibly excited to be announcing another ambitious transformational plan, this time for Dewsbury,’ said council leader, Cllr Shabir Pandor.

‘The recent recession and national measures of austerity meant our earlier plans to regenerate this once great town were put on hold.

‘Despite this we have improved and protected heritage buildings through the Townscape Heritage Initiative and made sure that people visiting by train had a positive impression of the town as a safe place for pedestrians and cyclist through improvements to the train station gateway,’ added Cllr Pandor.

‘As the Dewsbury blueprint shows our ambitions have grown, and the speed of delivery is accelerating.  You will see some of these key projects in Dewsbury begin very soon with consultations on the market improvements and town park starting later this year.

‘Planning has been granted for the development of Field House into apartments, and a café and restaurant directly opposite the station, and we are making progress on many of the other projects included in this exciting plan.’

For more information on the Dewsbury blueprint, click here.

Photo Credit – Kirklees Council