Huddersfield Civic Society Executive Committee Meeting, September 8, 2025

The meeting was held at Westins, St Andrews Road, Huddersfield, at 7pm.

Attendees:  Gideon Richards (GR), Geoff Hughes (GH), Ann Denham (AD), Howard Smith (HS), Amanda Boothroyd (AB), Michael Woodward (MW), Sylvia Johnson (SJ), Bernard Ainsworth (BA), John Eastwood (JE), Robert Taylor (RT).

Apologies: Yun Gao (YG).

Chair Stand-in Activities

– Chair this meeting: Ann Denham

– Volunteer Chairs for future meetings confirmed Sylvia (Nov 10), Gideon (Jan 12), Mike (Mar 9).

Minutes of the Previous Meeting (14.7.2025): Version 1.2 accepted as Final. Proposed SJ, Second GR

Getting a new Chair – discussion to be continued at next meeting (ST + All)

Actions agreed from this meeting

1) Volunteer(s) to edit 1 October and, if one is needed, 1 November newsletter(s) – Action (AP)

2) Give thought to selection of new society Chair and come to next mtg ready to discuss (ALL)

3) Send renewal notifications to agreed final current membership list approx1 Dec (HS)

4) Chase Minutes of Huddersfield Town Centre Leisure/Retail Stakeholder Workshop (= part of Local Plan),  

     then draft HCS submissionto emphasise importance of increase in town-centre housing (MW)

5) Topics for HCS 29 September meeting by GH, HS, AD, AP with David Shepherd agreed as a) Council roles and

     responsibilities, b) Town Centre residential, c) Town Centre shabbiness, d) Building decay (GH)

6) Proceed to publication of 1000 copies with DG ‘Arts and Crafts houses’ for pre-Christmas launch (GH)

7) Progress updating of HCS leaflet (AB/HS)

8) Plan discussion of whether HCS should pursue ‘Blue Plaques’ for next HCS committee meeting (AD)

9) Invite Deborah Marsland et al to 15 Oct HCS Tolson book launch talk (AD)

10) More ideas for future meetings/talks/visits please (All)

Membership update (HS)

08 September 2025
Member typeIndividual/U25JointCorporateTotalChanges
Totals – ALL CATEGORIES12918241712
Total ACTIVE members9712201293
Paid (correct amount)709199815
Paid (wrong amount)162018-1
Free/Rollover20130
New this report20022
Not yet paid7108-5
Resigned this Year60170
Lapsed this Year235331-1
Deleted (corrected) this year31040

HS was thanked for his example of welcome letter now being sent to new members

Interim Treasurer’s Report (GR)

– Approx £1300 in Barclays current account and £15486 in Skipton BS account

– Major planned expenditure item will be payment for publishing of new HCS ‘Ars and Crafts houses’ book.

– At long last, SJ and HS now successfully added to GR+GH as Barclays signatories

– GR has submitted complaint to Barclays about multiple failures by Barclays processes and staff in above.

– SJ and GH now added as Skipton BS signatories

Planning Report (RT et al)

  • Serious concerns expressed regarding due process at Castle Hill, about-turn by Historic England, viability of proposed ‘hotel’ and CIC model,  and how KC would conduct a business case viability study
  • Surprise at new case 93964 which is for a building that was eligible for a shopfront improvement grant
  • Decisions still awaited on all key applications incl Castle Hill, George Hotel, Turnbridge Mill
  • No progress known on all enforcement cases, on all decaying building cases, on Town Centre Conservation Area Management Plan, on Station to Stadium business case, on putting all planning applications onto weekly list or on any Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) measurements

Publications (RT et al)

  • Tolson book print run of 500, to be launched at 15 Oct HCS talk (AD)
  • David Griffiths ‘Arts and Crafts houses’: print run of 1000 agreed and cover price of £19.95 agreed

Future Events

  • ‘Mills Transformed’ talk – Neil Horsley (joint HODs with HLHS) Wed 17 Sept 19.00 at Brian Jackson Centre (GH)
  • Tolson book launch talk by AD Wed 15 Oct 19.00 at Brian Jackson centre (AD)
  • Turnbridge Mills visit – Thu 2 Oct at 15.00 (2 groups of 15) (HS)
  • HCS stand at Huddersfield Family History Fair, Greenhead Masonic Hall, Sat 25 Oct 10.00-16.00 (HS)
  • HCS ‘Arts and Crafts’ book launch – Sat 6 Dec 14.00: David Griffiths at Lindley Methodist Church (GH)
  • Social Event at Westins, provisionally agreed for Thu 22 Jan evening at Westins – (HS)
  • Possible future talks:
  • White Rose Forest talk by KC officer – tba (AB)
  • Arts and Crafts houses by David Griffiths (GH)
  • Ideas for AGM speaker in March please (All)
  •  

Future 2025 HCS Committee meeting dates (all 7pm at Westin House tbc)

Mon 10 Nov 2025, Mon 12 Jan 2026, Mon 9 Mar, Mon 11 May, Mon 13 July, Mon 14 Sept, Mon 9 Nov

AGM. Possibly w/c 23 March

Geoff Hughes, September 15, 2025