EXPERT VIEW: My vision for a new centre of the town

Aug 28 2008 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

M ABBAS SABIR, from Huddersfield, is reading for a degree in town and country planning at West of England University in Bristol. Here he enters the debate started by Huddersfield Civic Society on the future of the town with his own vision

IT is a significant time for town centres in the UK at present, where there has been major investment in housing, retail and leisure amenities.

How has this investment affected the environment of Huddersfield town centre and is this investment a step in the right direction?

Huddersfield, one of the largest towns in the UK – with good transport connections, diverse people and a rich heritage – has seen its centre develop over the decades, whether for better or worse.

No period has seen as much development as the present time. Huddersfield is at the stage of its life where it is trying to shift from a manufacturing town to a more creative services town

I have a vision of a Huddersfield town centre that is vibrant, a good place to work, enjoy and relax.

It would be a place that would be very welcoming, good in design, sustainable, have a variety of amenities and services, be well connected for whatever mode of transport people desired and accommodate several internet hotspots.

The New Street, King Street, Queensgate and Kingsgate areas will still be the primary shopping districts, but will consist of well- designed structures and public realms that would connect people to all parts of the town centre and beyond.

Queensgate will preserve the market hall and have a new public space, a new library, art gallery and new museum (in the old library building), microplex cinema and a public garden and children’s playground at the rear of the library. This would give visitors a variety of activities to do.

There are many yards in Huddersfield town centre which can be regenerated to accommodate small eateries and café bars, maybe to give the town a flavour of the Continent.

St George’s Warehouse will be brought back to life serving as a multi-use building with offices, flats, shops and speciality shops. It would be well connected to the railway station and surrounding roads.

Even though the River Colne and canals are on the edge of the town centre, waterside eateries and promenades would be created to connect people more with the waterways.

The restoration of the waterways would be enhanced by several small waterside parks and better routes to walk and cycle on.

The old Tesco site would be developed into a world-class James Mason Centre for the Arts, complementing the existing Media Centre and St George’s Warehouse.

I envisage that the area between the Southgate section of the ring road and Aspley would have a great waterside setting with offices, shops, flats and public spaces. It would also act as an area that would be a financial mini-district for Huddersfield and accommodate a suitable cluster of high-rise buildings.

The Media Centre would act as a focal point in the north-west quarter of the town centre. This area could possibly accommodate an amphitheatre with an additional big screen. This concept would attract new investors and developers to this area.

Development on this scale would cause major congestion problems.

How could we manage and overcome this? Having more connected, faster, quality and frequent trains and buses would encourage people to use public transport. Also improving the streetscape and accessibility between both railway and bus stations would be an asset.

Having a well-connected network of footpaths and cycleways would encourage people to walk, cycle and keep healthy. Having cycles of all shapes and sizes, such as tandems, but also having cycle parks in and around the town centre and cycle hire shops.

Several park and ride facilities would be created near the town centre or on the outskirts of the town. Could Huddersfield have a better mode of transport? Could we possibly implement a tram-train system (already proposed for the Penistone Line).

Or possibly having a monorail system that would connect the proposed Stadium Riverside and the Waterfront Quarter?

The ring road could be placed underground; this would cause less pollution and free up land for other developments. This has been done in places such as Barcelona and Boston, USA.

Many of the areas bordering the town centre would be better connected to the centre and given a sense of place and stronger identity.

Huddersfield is a great town with much to offer. Our town is going through a major development phase and we should have a say in the matters.

All of us could make Huddersfield town centre a place to be proud of.