Council bosses in Kirklees are committed to re-imagining the centre of Huddersfield as part of the mammoth and much-trumpeted blueprint project.
It's now approaching three years since the blueprint - the biggest regeneration programme to affect Huddersfield in half a century, and set to cost a quarter of a billion pounds - was unveiled in a showy event at the Lawrence Batley Theatre.
But what has changed in that time? And how far forward is Kirklees Council in delivering its vision?
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New artist's impressions have been released that show some of what could be achieved, principally within the 7.8-acre site dubbed "the cultural heart", which is estimated to cost £210m of the total £250m budget allocated to the overall project.
Working from left to right on the overview we can seea new multi-storey car parkon the site of the former Alfred Street multi-storey that served Queensgate Market and the town centre.
That 10-level car park was closed in 2020 and demolished in 2021. A replacement “temporary surface car park” using 115 of its original 588 spaces and costing £875,000 has been created but has not yet opened.
A new multi-storey such as the one seen in the visuals could cost £10m.
Alongside the car park is a building identified as a venue. Thisnew event spaceis proposed to accommodate up to 2,200 people.
That is lower than the previously publicised maximum capacity of 2,500.
That event space appears to have replaced a much larger high-rise building, which may have been conceived as a multi-storey car park or even a hotel,seen on original designs from 2019.
Grade II-listed Queensgate Market has becomea food hall, with an accompanying strip facing the ring road transformed intoa new library,including a new build next to an existing stairway. The block of shops on Princess Alexandra Walk has been removed to create a public square.
This is a change to the "preferred option" unveiled last November when council chiefs said a new library and art gallery would take over a refurbished market.
Traders are to be "decanted" out of Queensgate Market and into metal containers on town centre streets, or into vacant shops, prior to the creation of a combined market offer across town at Brook Street.
The existing 1940s Huddersfield Library - with an extension to the rear - is listed asa museum and art gallery. There has been speculation that this offer will incorporate Tolson Museum, which has beenearmarked for closuresince 2016.
The building has also been linked to the National Rugby League Museum, which was to be housed within the George Hotel on St George's Square. However that offer has been withdrawn with the council offering a space within the cultural heart instead.
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West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin suggested the museum dedicated to the sport was destined for what is currently the town's central library.
Atown park- renamed from "urban park" - has replaced the large block of shops, including Boots, and the ribbon of stores including WH Smith and the former BHS building, on The Shambles.
However what appears to bea new buildhas materialised where a current ribbon of shops looks out onto the piazza. It has been categorised as"mixed use"and includes steps down to Peel Street and the A62 ring road.
beplay官网手机登陆取代了作为大草地ss terracettes leading down to the ring road to create an open link through to St Paul's Hall and the University of Huddersfield campus.
It is unclear whether the new build would retain elements of the undercroft beneath the piazza shopping area though the council has previously said a museum would use service tunnels and the undercroft as exhibition space.
The so-called blueprint focuses on regenerating six key areas of Huddersfield town centre.
They are the Station Gateway, St Peter’s, Kingsgate and King Street, New Street, the Civic Quarter, and Queensgate and the piazza area.
The cultural heart is being designed and delivered by architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and engineers Arup.
The council says the scheme "remains early in the design process and the proposals within these new visuals are subject to change as further design work progresses."
An Outline Business Case is now being developed and will be presented to the council's decision-making Cabinet in July for approval.
In the meantime an update will be presented to the Economy and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Panel on Thursday (March 3).
The council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration,Clr Peter McBride, said: "In order for our town centres to thrive in the modern day, we must adapt them so they offer people places to visit, things to do and more green space.
"Huddersfield’s Cultural Heart will do that and more."
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