Huddersfield Civic Society Members’ Update September 2022
Here is a round-up of what Huddersfield Civic Society is working on at the moment, including events and major planning issues.
We’ll start with events.
EventsHelping Yorkshire’s Fragile Churches. A presentation by Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust at 6.30 for 7pm start on Thursday, October 13 at Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Street, Huddersfield.
An illustrated presentation by the Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust, formed in 1988, which provides grants to Christian churches of any denomination or age, listed or unlisted, and used for public worship within Yorkshire.
Trustee Dr Jane Crease and Sylvia Johnson, Chair of Grant Committee and Trustee, will reveal the work of the Trust and how it operates. The evening begins with a cup of tea or coffee served from 6.30pm and a welcome to Holy Trinity Church by their architect Stuart Beaumont, of One 17 Design. It costs £3 per person for Huddersfield Civic Society members and £5 for non-members.
Payment can be made directly to Huddersfield Civic Society: Account No. 50525022; Sort Code 20-43-04; Ref: YHCT + your surname or at the door on the evening.
Afternoon visit to Woodsome Hall, Sunday, October 30 at 2pm
Philip Sands, will walk through 800 years of history at one of the area’s most historic houses, Woodsome Hall, a grade 1 listed building. The tour is free to HCS members and one guest but numbers will be limited to 30. To book contact Michael Barron via email at or phone 01484 537080.
Address: Woodsome Hall Golf Club, Woodsome Road, Fenay Bridge, Huddersfield HD8 OL
Improving walking and cycling routes in Huddersfield, 10am until lunchtime on Saturday, November 5, New North Road Baptist Church, New North Parade, Huddersfield.
This free conference, organised by HCS and Cycle Kirklees, will discuss how the new government organisation Active Travel England will support and provide funding for improvements to walking and cycling initiatives. The focus will be to discuss Active Travel in and around Huddersfield and how these can be best delivered. There will be speakers from West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Sustrans, Kirklees Council and Huddersfield Ramblers, among others. A full agenda will be published in early October.
Discover Huddersfield Trails and Walks Programme 2022
Following four very successful walks during Kirklees Heritage Open Days, only three walks in the current season remain to be enjoyed. On Sunday, October 2, Natalie Pinnock Hamilton and Heather Norris Nicholson will explore key locations associated with Huddersfield’s African Caribbean community.
HCS chairman David Wyles will be leading a walk on October 16 revealing architectural decoration from the late Georgian period to the 1930s and, as a fitting end to the season, the popular Shuddersfield Halloween Walk on Sunday, October 30, led by Rebecca Winwood, uncovers ghost stories and horrible happenings and is suitable for children aged 9+.
Bookings for each walk will be available via Eventbrite no more than 14 days before each walk. To view all the year’s walks, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/discover-huddersfield-guided-walks-programme-2022-120689.
Walks cost £4 per person and usually last between 90 minutes and 2 hours.
Town Centre Blueprint
A further meeting between members of the HCS Executive Committee and consultants Feilden, Clegg, Bradley Studios allowed us to see in greater detail the essential elements of the Cultural Heart proposals. This was followed by further public consultation. Subject to Cabinet go ahead, a planning application for the development is likely to be submitted in early October.
As previously mentioned, although we support the very thorough work carried out by the consultants and the broad intentions for the provision of new library, museum, art gallery, refurbishment of the market hall and events space, questions remain over elements such as car parking capacity, the events ‘arena’, the relationship with the rest of the town, particularly its retail heart, and a satisfactory revenue budget to deal with maintenance, security and upkeep of both open spaces and buildings.
Planning and Enforcement Issues
There has been a number of issues that raise growing concerns regarding the speed taken in relation to enforcement action on illegal work, protection of listed buildings and response to development proposals. Here are just a few that the HCS Executive Committee has been involved with recently.
11 Greenhead Road: removal of large and inappropriate signage on listed building.
Former Neaversons shop, 4 Byram Street, Huddersfield: A listed shop frontage reflecting the very best in the modern style of the 1930s. The sans serif lettering was removed by the new tenant and, despite action by Kirklees Council, has not yet been put back, although it is understood it has not been destroyed.
Fell Greave at Brackenhall: Concern over marquee and groundworks. This development has no planning permission and appears to have been used for wedding receptions and other events. It was brought to our notice by a local resident and the issue has also been taken up by Barry Sheerman MP.
In questions posed to Kirklees Council’s enforcement team, HCS colleague Geoff Hughes asked: “How was this marquee – and the events that have taken place in it – been allowed to continue for much of this year, given we understand that concern has long been voiced by local residents regarding planning matters, the dumping of waste material, large-scale vehicle access and parking, noise, disturbance etc? Will the council demand that the following are undertaken: removal of the marquee, removal of all infrastructure, restoration of the landscape by removal of all material dumped?”
HCS has delayed releasing its own statement on this matter but has, this week, received a helpful update from Kirklees Enforcement team. We will continue to monitor the situation.
Former Huddersfield Infirmary on Trinity Street
I don’t know how many times HCS has commented upon this but the Huddersfield Examiner recently revealed what we have suspected all along.
The investment company who obtained permission for the former college site, despite officers’ recommendations to refuse it, has now announced its intention to finalise the contract for a Lidl supermarket to be built and sell the remaining land.
This, in fact, means there is no short-term prospect for the restoration and re-use of the former infirmary which, unless urgent action is taken, will fall into even further disrepair. How acute this sad tale is, with its inference of failings from the time Kirklees put this site on the market for sale, is reflected in an excellent article in the latest edition of Private Eye – a rare if sad reflection on our town.
Sorry to be cynical but at the Planning Committee which gave its blessing to this in February, the permission was based partly on the idea that ‘substantive improvements’ had been demonstrated.
Well, folks, we’re going to get a new Lidl to replace the one a few hundred yards along the road. Whoopee!
LNWR Coal Chutes on Alder Street
HCS member Paul Jackson recently brought to our attention the deteriorating condition of one of Huddersfield’s most unusual, listed structures – the coal chutes at Alder Street.
Paul initiated the listing of these structures 20 years ago and they now lie on land owned by Network Rail and part of the trans Pennine rail upgrade construction site.
Paul says: “This row of more than 20 LNWR coal chutes is nationally unique in having most of the mechanisms intact together with a Huddersfield corporation tramway connection laid in the yard. Each chute originally had a geared mechanism operated by a chain or lever to open up the coal store and allow the coal to drop down the chute into a waiting coal tram or wagon. Unfortunately, many of the chutes are collapsing with only about 10 intact.”
Network Rail has requested discharge of the condition intended to protect these structures, but HCS has submitted comments requesting that, before the condition is discharged, a survey is undertaken of the current condition of the coal drops, basic maintenance (especially removal of trees and roots) is undertaken during the coming months and regular checks are carried out during Network Rail’s construction period. It is hoped the means will be found to restore at least some of the chutes as part of the town’s important industrial and railway heritage.
Local Developers’ Consortium
HCS President Bernard Ainsworth and I were pleased to be invited to a recent meeting to discuss the frustrations and challenges faced by local developers, their architects and agents, in dealing with and receiving responses from Kirklees Planning Department.
Concerns were very well articulated, focussing on the challenge for Kirklees to improve response times, the need for face-to-face discussions and a much greater understanding of design issues and the commercial difficulties faced by local development companies in comparison with volume house builders.
HCS is aware that Kirklees is keen to see a range of residential opportunities develop within the inner areas of Huddersfield. The difficulties and delays being experienced by local developers/builders in their current engagement with Kirklees planning department will cause those same parties to avoid any emerging opportunities as ‘not worth the effort.’
The consortium is holding a meeting with key Kirklees officers on October 21 to outline its concerns and a request for equally clear and precise responses on how planning officers will provide greater flexibility and direct contact to resolve issues at a much earlier stage in the planning process.