​Planning and Town Centre Management

Enforcement and Planning Conditions

As outlined in my last update we have increasing concerns about the inadequate protection to some of the town’s key listed buildings and the need for better enforcement action by Kirklees Council.

While understanding there are resource/staffing issues in some areas, we continue to press for both the statutory responsibilities of the council to be maintained and for better monitoring on conditions imposed on developers.

Currently, we are investigating why, having placed numerous conditions upon certain developments as part of the approval process, some conditions are being ignored and not being implemented.

Maintenance of Street Furniture

While Kirklees has embarked on a number of very ambitious initiatives as part of the Huddersfield Blueprint I am increasingly concerned about the lack of maintenance of street furniture, flower beds and other structures. Many fixtures require repainting, graffiti removal, weeding or simply replacement.

Why, for example, does the council persist in using powder coated metal bins that peel and rust and often fail to close properly? Why has the ‘Welcome to Huddersfield’ map outside the bus station had graffiti on it for the past three months or more? Why do many of the directions on the finger posts point in the wrong direction?

Surely, the bigger picture cannot be successfully achieved without attention to detail. Proper maintenance is essential if perceptions are to be improved.
 
Working with Huddersfield Business Improvement District (BID)

Not only am I very pleased that the Huddersfield BID (https://huddersfieldbid.co.uk), under the direction of manager, Samantha Sharp, has taken on the cleaning of graffiti and removal of chewing gum and cigarette butts, but also I am delighted to announce that the BID and HCS will be jointly launching a Tidy Trader Competition in the next couple of months to encourage retailers and commercial premises to both maintain and ensure a welcoming presence to their customers. Further details in future updates.
 
Annual Joint HCS/University Lecture. 7pm, Tuesday, March 1, University of Huddersfield

Only a few days to go before Professor Liz Towns-Andrews OBE, outlines the University of Huddersfield’s research and innovation activities targeted towards helping improve people’s health and wellbeing. Liz will also outline the vision and plans for the university’s new Health Innovation Campus located off Southgate/Leeds Road. There is no charge for this event.

Booking via Eventbrite is essential by going to: http://hud.ac/lgt
 
Please note: the event will not now be held in the Oastler Building.  Details of the lecture room will be on the Eventbrite reminder email on Monday for those booked to attend.
 
Discover Huddersfield Trails and Walks Programme 2022

The DH Walks Programme 2022 leaflet is now being distributed to information points and libraries around the area and can be viewed by going to www.discoverhuddersfield.uk

The first of this season’s walks ‘The Irish in Huddersfield’ on Saturday, March 19 will be followed by a free showing of the first ever St Patrick’s Day event in the town. To go in this event click here. 

This will be followed by The Villas of Edgerton on March 27 led by David Griffiths. To attend click here. 

Bookings for each walk will be available via Eventbrite no more than 14 days before each walk. To view all the year’s walks click here. 

Walks cost £4 per person and usually last 1.5 to 2 hours.
 
HCS AGM: Tuesday, March 29 at 7pm

Not only are we able to return to a ‘live’ AGM but following the formal necessities we are excited to welcome a presentation by one of our corporate members, Acumen Designers and Architects, winner of the Best Residential category in our Design Awards 2020.
 
Acumen has been involved in a number of major residential developments in and around the town centre and are currently awaiting decisions on two schemes on King Street and Albert Yard in the town centre.
 
As I have intimated before we would welcome nominations to our Executive Committee and currently are particularly interested in gaining help from members who are au fait with Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Please contact me as we really could do with more support.

Invitations to the AGM and the presentation will follow.

Other Events

We are now finalising a range of events through the year. Here’s an update for your diaries. Specific details to follow before each event.

Evening visit to Halifax town centre, Thursday, July 14.

We last visited Halifax in 2016 before the Piece Hall was re-opened. Our July walk will provide an update on current activities and initiatives and will be led by the Chair of Halifax Civic Trust, Alan Goodrum.

Evening stroll around Kirkburton late July – mid August (date to be confirmed).

Repeating the success of our walk around Marsden last year we are finalising this walk around the village and historic church led by members of Kirkburton History Group.

Saving Our Heritage: Conservation of the former George Hotel and Estate Buildings: mid-September.
 
Helen Walker, Head of Heritage, Bowman Riley Architects.
Joint presentation with Huddersfield Local History Society as part of the Heritage Open Days festival.

Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust, Thursday, October 13, Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Street, Huddersfield.

Presentation about the work of the Trust and the buildings it helps to protect.
 
Town Centre Blueprint

Martin Kilburn, Geoff Hughes and I recently met Fielden Clegg Bradley (FCB) Studios, the architect consultant who will put meat on the bones of the component elements of the cultural heart in terms of future uses, including the market hall, library/art gallery and the Piazza itself.
 
We have submitted to the consultants our early thoughts and concerns regarding some of the initial ideas emerging and we hope to share more with our members in the near future once Kirklees Council has had sight of these initial proposals.
 
Society Submits Biodiversity Concerns to Kirklees

Following the summary in my last update, committee colleague Mike Prior and I presented our findings and concerns to Kirklees Cabinet on February 22. We hope our recommendations and concerns will be taken on board by Kirklees and that further consideration can be given by Kirklees Scrutiny Panel.

Should anyone wish to view the Cabinet item and the response we received go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjeuejkv9wU. We are on quite early so no need to view the whole thing although our item was followed by some equally interesting deputations regarding environmental issues.

​A group dedicated to improving Huddersfield has started a project to clean up the town.
 
The move by Huddersfield Bid is called Tarting up the Town and the project aims to enhance the appearance.
 
This is through:  
 

• Deep street cleans in essential locations improving first impressions by removing grime, chewing gum and graffiti.
• Street art in key locations brightening up the town giving reason and promotion to visit Huddersfield.
• Window vinyls to make empty shops look attractive making the town look vibrant and cared for.
• Greenery and floral displays adding colour and life.
• Creative lighting making the gateways into Huddersfield look more attractive.
• Working groups collaborating making Huddersfield a welcoming and attractive place to be.

 
Huddersfield Bid is a not-for-profit company set up by Huddersfield businesses to develop Huddersfield into an accessible, safe, vibrant and attractive destination which celebrates its culture and heritage, serves its local business, university and residential community and is recognised nationally and internationally as a great place to be.

​With Covid in recession (we hope!) and a new year ahead, there has been quite a lot bubbling up over the Christmas period. Here’s a taste of some of the activities your Executive Committee are currently engaged with.

2022 Events Programme

Annual Joint HCS/ University Lecture. Tuesday, March 1, University of Huddersfield Oastler Building at 7pm.

Professor Liz Towns-Andrews OBE, Professor of Innovation and Director of External Engagement at Huddersfield Business School, will describe the university’s strategic priority – Health Innovation - research and innovation activities targeted towards helping improve people’s health and wellbeing. Liz will also outline the vision and plans for the university’s new Health Innovation Campus located off Southgate/Leeds Road. There will be opportunities for audience members to ask questions at the end.
Anyone can attend and there is no charge. 

Booking via Eventbrite is essential by going to: http://hud.ac/lgt
 
Discover Huddersfield Trails and Walks’ Programme 2022

Two new trails have been produced by the Discover Huddersfield partnership. The Textile and Greasepaint and Limelight (Act 1) trails add to the 16 free leaflets already available.

In addition, the Discover Huddersfield Walks’ Programme 2022 is about to go to the printers with a record 20 walks, starting with the Irish in Huddersfield walk on Saturday, March 19, which will be followed by a free showing of the first ever St. Patrick’s Day event in the town. Bookings for each walk will be available via Eventbrite 14 days before each walk. To view all the year’s walks go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/discover-huddersfield-guided-trails-programme-2022-120689. Walks cost £4 per person and usually last 1.5 to 2 hours.

Further information at www.discoverhuddersfield.uk

Other Events

A range of other talks and walks are currently being finalised, including a visit to Halifax, an evening stroll around Kirkburton and talks by Yorkshire Churches Preservation Trust and by Helen Walker, Conservation Architect working on the George Hotel and Estate Buildings (the latter as part of the Heritage Open Days Festival in September).

And if you’d like to find out how the Romans seized the Huddersfield area there is a talk entitled ‘Roman Eagle v Yorkshire Grit’ by John Cross, President of Huddersfield Archaeological Society at Brockholes Village Hall, HD9 7EB, at 7.30pm, on Thursday, March 10. Entry is £5.

Specific details to follow in future updates.

Town Centre Blueprint

HCS has been fortunate in having regular updates from key Kirklees officers regarding progress on town centre initiatives, often in advance of formal public consultations. This provides our members with regular news from ‘the horse’s mouth.’

We recently met consultants Pegasus who have been tasked with carrying out the complex Environmental Impact Assessment of the ‘Cultural Heart’. In the next fortnight we will be meeting Fielden Clegg Bradley (FCB) Studios, the architects who will put meat on the bones of the component elements of the cultural heart in terms of future uses, including the market hall, library/art gallery and Piazza itself. FCB were introduced to the town a couple of years ago when they presented some of their award-winning work at the annual joint HCS/University lecture.

Society Submits Biodiversity Concerns to Kirklees Scrutiny Panel

Introduced by Natural England in 2016, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is developing into a critical component of our local authorities’ planning and approval processes, bolstered by councils’ declarations of Climate Emergency during 2019.  Put simply, BNG involves the use of a metric as a proxy for recognising the negative impacts on habitats from a development and calculating how much new or restored habitat, and of what types is required to deliver sufficient net gain.

Following HCS analysis of 5 significant planning applications in Kirklees, Huddersfield Civic Society identified a gap between the Council’s Biodiversity Strategy and its deployment within the planning application process. Subsequently, we have posed questions for Kirklees Council’s Scrutiny Panel and suggested one recommendation as part of the current DEFRA consultation: that Natural England radically simplifies its BNG process to enable all stakeholders to focus on essentials and to make BNG reporting accessible to the public.

Planning Issues

Buildings at Risk

We continue to press for adequate protection on a number of key listed buildings that have been left vacant and subject to deterioration, water ingress and vandalism. Concern has specifically been raised regarding the grade 2* former Huddersfield Infirmary on the Trinity development site, Oakes School, St. Andrew’s Church on Leeds Road and Newsome Mills. A strong voice through HCS may help ensure these valuable heritage assets are restored and re-used.​

Planning Applications

There has been a surge in the number of applications for conversion of upper floors of commercial property in the town centre. While HCS is, in principle supportive of residential use – and there have been a handful of decent proposals - the majority have provided minimal space requirements and limited consideration of related factors such as refuse disposal and heritage issues (see recent comments regarding specific proposals in the ‘Planning’ section on our website).
 
Our Executive Committee Needs You!
​
As with many voluntary organisations, the main activities of HCS are organised through our Executive Committee with the help of our website manager, Andy Hirst, and membership secretary Laura West. We really could do with more help with our initiatives, whether it’s in consultation with Kirklees, lobbying on conservation, active travel and environmental issues, planning events and visits, working on partner programmes such as Discover Huddersfield and Heritage Open Days etc.

It’s also difficult to follow everything that may be happening across the whole borough area. If there are issues in the area where you live that you feel we should pay some attention to, please let me know.
I’d love to hear from you.

David Wyles

Following limited sampling and analysis in autumn 2021, Huddersfield Civic Society identified a gap between Kirklees Council’s biodiversity strategy and its deployment within the planning application process - particularly in relation to requirements for Biodiversity Net Gain.

As a result of the findings a request has been made to Kirklees Council’s Scrutiny Panel for consideration of the following questions:

1. Is resourcing adequate with the right levels of ecological expertise in the right places? 

2. Is there adequate understanding and prioritisation of BNG by political decision makers in the council? 

3. What assurances are there that the follow-up and tracking of applicant (developer) compliance with post-approval BNG conditions will be made by the council? 

We make one wider recommendation which could be submitted - along with any additional feedback from Kirklees Council - as part of the current DEFRA consultation.

This is that Natural England radically simplifies its BNG process, including metrics/ calculation tools and documentation to enable all stakeholders to focus on essentials and to make BNG reporting (including calculations) accessible to the public.

To read the full report that has been submitted to the council please see the document below.

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