Huddersfield Civic Society reveals challenges and concerns with £16.5m plans for Huddersfield Market renovation

Consultation for a £16.5m upgrade to Huddersfield Market has now ended and Huddersfield Civic Society has voiced challenges and concerns Kirklees Council faces to make it a success.

Under the plans for the old open market on Byram Street, Kirklees Council wants to keep the traditional market with a variety of stalls while bringing in more food and drink outlets and having space inside the market hall for events.

Outside, opposite the market hall and next to the car park, will be Market Yard with two new buildings. There will be indoor units for traders and small businesses and outdoor stalls which can be taken down when not in use. The Market Yard is designed to be an attractive public space whether the outdoor market is on or not.

The majority of the investment will be focused on the existing Grade II listed market hall which dates from 1887. It has a decorative cast iron frame, large roof spans and glazed exterior walls. It needs essential repairs and the aim is to restore it to its original paint colours which are traditional red, pinks and creams, typical of municipal buildings and services in Huddersfield at that time.

In its formal response to the plans, Huddersfield Civic Society chairman David Wyles has submitted the following response to Kirklees Council.

Redecoration of structure ‘back to its original red colour.’ It would be good to maintain highlighted sections especially of architectural details such as armorial shields on capitals of cast iron columns and along frieze.
Suggestion that the scheme will attract fishmongers and butchers. Even Leeds Kirkgate Market is steadily losing its fishmongers and ever more people with cars drive to local farm shop butchers. Has there been any assessment for this assumed demand?
Removal of existing security shutters. Yes, shutters are never the most attractive feature, but the Society is equally concerned that replacement with ‘glazed screens’ is practical and could be both vulnerable and costly to clean and maintain.
Stone annexe: are improvements realistic bearing in mind future revenue implications regarding upkeep and management?
Market Yard: Similar to above re revenue costs.
Enhanced Offer: enhancements ‘will allow for the market to be open more days of the week.’ Opening times were curtailed years ago and the Society is very sceptical of this happening without any complimentary changes to surrounding uses, especially residential developments, which appear to be some way off. Historically, over the past 20 years there have been several refurbishment schemes that have had limited success in increasing visitor and trader numbers. Any growth through physical changes may need to be a little more circumspect and gradual.

General Comments

Low footfall. The Society is concerned that people may not wish to walk to this end of town with streets such as Byram Street clearly suffering from poor footfall and increasing vacancies.
The current market benefits from having a Tesco supermarket with associated parking. If Tesco was to move, the market area would be vulnerable although the health campus development may offer a source of new footfall.
Given the above, the Society feels the market needs to move further away from food. It needs to attract people primarily for leisure eg. speciality markets and fairs, street entertainment and perhaps bring the annual Food and Drink Festival back into the town centre. For this, any investment must ensure there are good visitor facilities, plug-in points, well managed toilets etc.
It is essential there is adequate signage for both pedestrians, cyclists and drivers, in order to encourage and enable visitors to locate and park close to the market. Without this and without adequate publicity, it is feared that there is considerable risk in what is proposed and assumed in the report.

To see the full Kirklees Council plans for the market go to https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/markets/huddersfield-market-consultation.aspx