HCS Members’ Update October 2024
Our walk around Penistone had to be cancelled at the last minute due to heavy rain but we’ll be re-organising the walk for next Spring. In the meanwhile there’s plenty to report.
St Peter’s Parish Church Event Space
This new area was formally opened just over a week ago. The quality of the work is to a very high standard and I particularly like the position of the re-sited Joseph Kaye memorial.
We remain concerned about the size of this area, eating into the gardens, resulting in the loss of valuable green space, especially when there are, and will be, other spaces available for staging events in the town centre.
What is of greatest concern though is the fact that the council is adding this to its claimed successes in regenerating the town centre when the remainder of the gardens are a disgrace with, seemingly, no plans to carry out the improvements as intimated in the masterplan and following meetings I attended along with a number of HCS Committee colleagues a couple of years ago. We should do all we can to reverse this situation.
Thursday, October 10 at 7pm: Greasepaint and Limelight – The Story of Huddersfield’s Cinemas and Theatres. New North Road Baptist Church.
Book now for our next presentation. An evening to celebrate the many theatres and cinemas that once offered so much pleasure to Huddersfield folk.
Local historian, Ian Stevenson, will share his research and fond memories of some of the 26 or so ‘pleasure palaces’ that existed in the Huddersfield area in the 1950s and 60s and some of the stars associated with them.
Book now to secure your place at this event by going to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1000060898067?aff=oddtdtcreator
Free to HCS members. A recommended £5 donation from non-members will help towards costs. This amount will be deducted from annual HCS membership charge (£12.50 individuals, £30 corporate) for those non-members who join the Society on the evening.
Wednesday, November 6 at 7pm: Making History – Kirklees Heritage and Cultural Strategies.
Venue: Fresh Futures, Brian Jackson House, 2 New North Parade.
Deborah Marsland, Kirklees Museums and Galleries Manager, and Carl Hutton, Culture and Tourism Strategic Officer, will talk about Kirklees’ Heritage and Cultural strategies, other work to which they are linked and the Strategic Heritage Action Plan 2024-2027.
Discover Huddersfield
It’s almost the end of the 2024 programme of Discover Huddersfield walks but there’s one more that I’m sure will highlight an area of the town’s architectural heritage that deserves greater appreciation.
‘Not Any Old Iron’ at 10.30am on Saturday, October 12, will be led by Chris Marsden who will explore the creative use of iron, steel and bronze across the town centre.
The walk costs £4.50 and must be pre-booked via Eventbrite (http://bit.ly/DiscoverHuddersfield).
Cultural Heart: Phase 2, Museum and Art Gallery.
As intimated in my last update the Kirklees consultant has now submitted a listed building planning application on behalf of KC showing revised plans for the combined museum/art gallery, application number: 2024/92473. The full application has a consultation end date of October 1 and is viewable on the Kirklees Council planning website.
Although it’s felt the consultant has made every effort to conserve and protect key architectural elements of the listed building, I repeat the concern I attempted to articulate in my last update when I said: ‘… consultants commissioned to design the new exhibition space have not completed their work, resulting in a complete lack of information relating to where thematic elements, particularly those being rehoused from Tolson Museum, will be situated.
‘Those of you who have for many years enjoyed the specific areas allocated to illustrate themes such as industrial, mediaeval, natural history and extensive transport displays may wonder where this unique and fascinating glimpse into the town’s past will be accommodated. As indicated, it is clear there will be less display space available so we feel it is essential that every effort is made by HCS and our individual members to raise these concerns and request some clarity about where and what is being displayed and retained.’
In a letter sent to the Council’s Conservation Officer and copied to HCS, the consultants state that: ‘Discussions have been held with the Local Planning Authority, including with yourself as the Council’s Conservation Officer, also with the 20th Century Society and the Huddersfield Civic Society and this has resulted in a number of amendments and clarifications to the scheme prior to this submission. The main proposed changes are summarised as follows:
The principles of the refurbishment approach are largely maintained as originally approved; led by the retention of the existing gallery use and with some elements of the existing library and gallery being demolished to facilitate the extension to the building, retained fabric upgraded and supported by a new build extension works. The originally approved Design and Access Statement (DAS) advised that the amount of development was 6,404sqm, of which 2,622sqm was within the approved extension to the building. The now submitted DAS Addendum for these proposed works set out that there is an enlarged extension, now being proposed at 2,828sqm (i.e. 206sqm larger than the current consent). This represents a very modest change to the extent of development.’
While it is assumed listed building consent will be granted, the concerns about the reduction in space and lack of information regarding themes and content remain of great concern.
Other Planning Matters
2024/92517: Castle Hill Proposed Development: Application by The Thandi Partnership
This appears to be a revision to the application from 2021 (originally dated 2018/93591) specifically for ‘Variation of condition 17 (drainage) of previous permission 2018/93591 for erection of restaurant/café/bar, six guest rooms, exhibition/interpretation room, WCs, terrace, car parking and ancillary accommodation’.
Although this original application was granted permission by Kirklees Council, despite vigorous objections from HCS, Castle Hill Associates, Huddersfield & District Archaeological Society and many more, approval was still needed from Historic England (since it is a Scheduled Ancient Monument) and this appears not to have been achieved.
A submitted letter from a local councillor provides a good summary:
“Planning consent was granted on 10th February 2022 in relation to planning application 2018/93591 subject to conditions. In the delegated decision notice S106 full permission dated 10th February 2022, it was noted that scheduled monument consent required from the Sec of State was outstanding. This consent remains outstanding and no such application has been made by the applicant. The applicant has had at least 2 years and 7 months (at the time of this submission) to have made such an application. Under planning permission 2018/93591, development is to commence within 3 years of the date planning permission was given and will expire on the 10th February 2025, in 5 months’ time. According to guidelines published by Historic England, it is illegal to carry out works to the schedule monument without consent. Consent cannot be given retrospectively and undertaking works before consent has been given is a criminal offence. According to information from Historic England, Scheduled Monument consent may take up to 13 weeks and Historic England have up to 42 days to submit draft advice to the Secretary of State. It is my view that if the applicants were genuinely interested in commencing works they would have already submitted an application to Historic England.”
HCS will submit a comment regarding this application and I hope others will make an effort to do likewise.
Enforcement Matters
Following a meeting with Helen Bower, Conservation and Enforcement Team Leader, in mid-July as reported in my early August bulletin, HCS Secretary Geoff Hughes has submitted a list of 13 Grade 2 and Grade 2* buildings, plus Conservation Area cases, around Huddersfield that are of concern. The list includes the former infirmary and I have recently spoken to John Lambe at Historic England’s regional office about, what appears to be, no action by the owners to protect or submit proposals on this nationally recorded ‘Building at Risk’.
Sadly, the list also contains Kirklees’ own property (Edgerton Cemetery gatehouse and chapels) and we fail to understand why the council is so slow in putting unwanted assets onto the market when they are left to deteriorate and the asset value decreases.
David Wyles