CIVIC SOCIETY NEWS |
 To paraphrase Lord Kitchener, 'Your town needs you'. That's the message being driven by HCS committee members in the light of recent shop closures and increasingly negative comments in the local papers. Many of us are proud of Huddersfield and appreciate that it still retains a good selection of shops, restaurants, pubs and cultural activities. We need to talk up the town, use its facilities and rebuild that sense of pride in its history and future prospects. Our co-ordination with Kirklees, involvement with the Discover Huddersfield Partnership, Heritage Open Days, Business Improvent District bid and promoting initiatives such as the Design Awards, all help contribute to supporting a healthier, more vibrant town.
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 A walk around the town centre involving some of our committee members and senior council officials gave a chance to raise important issues. David Wyles, Martin Kilburn and Chas Ball were joined by Kirklees Strategic Head of Economy and Infrastructure, Karl Battersby, and principal officers from Highways, Planning and Housing and a Kirklees enforcement officer. Some of the priority actions and longer term opportunities were identified. HCS Chairman David Wyles said: 'We are pleased that Kirklees officers are responding to our ideas and feeding them into the Town Centre Masterplan, the draft which we hope to be further consulted upon in the near future.'  A newly opened cycling route from Longroyd Bridge to Milnsbridge has increased interest in extending it to the upper valley as well as into the town centre. The route is funded by City Connect, a programme of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Kirklees Council has commissioned sustainable transport charity Sustrans to scope out options for a Colne Valley 'greenway' route. Key links for cyclists and walkers from the town centre to Longroyd Bridge will be included in the work. An open meeting at Slaithwaite Civic Hall on February 7, from 7pm to 8.30pm, will hear about future plans for walking, cycling and horse riding routes through the Colne Valley with a chance to air your views.  An ambitious project to capitalise on the town’s rich musical heritage has been welcomed by Huddersfield Civic Society. The project, aimed at making Kirklees a world-class destination for music, has received nearly £300,000 from the Leeds LEP’s Business Rates Pool fund. At a HCS meeting in the town hall on September 4, members were given an outline of the plan by Chas Ball, who sits on our committee and on the council's project steering group. The council announced its commitment to music in a 2016 report. The following year, it announced its ambition for Kirklees to become a place where everyone can hear world-class music. It is also looking support the next generation of musicians and music professionals to build and sustain careers, by providing access to the best industry advice, career opportunities and performance routes. The council hopes to bring together local, national and international partners to hold a year of music in 2023 to complement the plans for Leeds City of Culture, expected to take place at the same time. Council leader Coun Shabir Pandor, said: "We recognise the value of music on a places identity as well as its economic impact. There is a strong tradition of music making in the district with local music organisations being innovative within their approach and punching above their weight individually. "We need to build upon this to promote the area, bring communities together, and give our creative industries a boost. The recent successful bid for money from the business rates pool is the first of what we hope to be many bids that bring funding into the district to deliver on our ambition for music.” |
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