 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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 A new landmark building which gives the town a ‘wow factor’ was among the best new buildings constructed in the town last year, according to readers of the Huddersfield Examiner.
They voted the AHR-designed Oastler Building at Shorehead their favourite in the Huddersfield Civic Society Design Awards, but it wasn’t the overall winner. That honour went to the The Graham Cooksey Building at Greenhead College, designed by Fuse of Leeds. The winners in several categories were revealed at the awards ceremony at Huddersfield Town Hall. The judges said of the Oastler Building, part of the University of Huddersfield campus: “What could be more appropriate for the Examiner Readers’ Award than, perhaps, the most distinctive building to have been erected in the town since the John Smith’s Stadium was constructed in the mid 1990s? “The eye-catching Oastler Building complements a number of new buildings, all of considerable quality, to create a hub of activity and diversity creating a ‘wow’ factor for those coming to the university and town. The building, home of music, humanities and media, makes effective use of ashlar stonework on its Queensgate façade while the striking jettied glass and steel frontage to Shorehead is sub-divided by distinctive vertical fins. Within this frame are teaching facilities, research space, lecture theatres and offices. Of particular importance is the high level of environmental sustainability, the building achieving an ‘excellent’ rating from BREEAM, the world’s leading sustainability rating scheme.” Two awards went to the Graham Cooksey Building at Greenhead College: Best New Development and Overall Winner. Which buildings do you think have contributed to Huddersfield’s built environment and deserve to be celebrated? Please go to our Design Awards page to complete the nomination form. |
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