Major £3m Halifax regeneration scheme gets the go-ahead!

Major multi-million pound plans to revamp Halifax town centre have won support despite some opposition to demolition of a building from heritage groups.

Improvement works for the town centre and the A629 route will include creating a new public area called the Piece Garden opposite the Piece Hall (pictured above) and improving bus, cycle and pedestrian facilities.

The works form the second of five phases of a comprehensive scheme to provide a multi-modal transport corridor between Halifax and Huddersfield.

In total the whole project will cost around £120 million with this second phase representing around £2.9 million of investment from the council and partners including the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Calderdale Council’s Planning Committee was mindful to grant planning permission for the scheme, which has been referred to the Secretary of State for Housing, Community and Local Government for determination.

The proposed development includes around 14 hectares of land within Halifax town centre and will consist of three main phases, the Eastern Corridor, the Western Corridor and the Central Area, with a number of major interventions in each.

The council’s Director for Regeneration and Strategy, Mark Thompson, said the plans could be seen as part of other proposals for Halifax town centre, “potentially setting the stage for a series of other interventions over the next five to ten years, especially the railway station proposals,” he said.

Mr Thompson outlined some of the major proposals. “The interests of retail and the economy are very much in the forecast, central to this. “Only today we have heard more about Marks and Spencer closing stores. It tells us we can’t stand still and need to invest for the next decades. “It is a unique opportunity to bring £40 million of investment into the town.” he said.

Read more: https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/major-3m-halifax-regeneration-scheme-gets-the-go-ahead-in-the-face-of-concerns-and-objections-1-9541042