AMBITIOUS developments in Huddersfield are set to attract new businesses and boost the prosperity of the town, said a leading property expert.
Paul Andrew, head of agency for chartered surveyors Eddisons in Huddersfield, said that the Kirklees area was proving appealing to developers and businesses seeking new premises.
Mr Andrew pinpointed six multi-million pound developments as key to the future prosperity of the town.
He said Chapel Hill was a major focus for development – with Huddersfield Technical College planning a £70m move to a purpose-built campus, providing more than 300,000sq ft of accommodation, to replace its existing buildings at New North Road, which include the town’s former Royal Infirmary.
It forms part of developer Strategic Site’s £175m Waterfront Quarter scheme to transform eight acres of land between Chapel Hill, Manchester Road and the river Colne – now occupied by Sellers Engineering Ltd and Kirklees Council – to provide 190,000sq ft of flats and leisure facilities.
On the opposite side of the river, Bradbury Investments has secured funding to redevelop the grade II- listed Folly Hall Mills to provide more than 37,000sq ft of high quality offices. Work on site is under way, with occupation of the completed suites available from the autumn.
Mr Andrew said Huddersfield University – with 22,000 students and 1,600 staff contributing more than £150m a year to the local economy – had underlined its commitment to improving facilities with its £12m creative arts building.
The purpose-built, distinctive cube-shaped building occupying a prominent position alongside the ring road at Queensgate, will provide the university with new music learning spaces, including four lecture theatres, practice and tuition rooms and a new concert hall with a capacity of 120.
Elsewhere, Huddersfield’s historic St George’s Square was undergoing a £4m facelift to turn the square into a major attraction, capable of staging outdoor entertainment events with a capacity for a 10,000-strong audience.
Mr Andrew said property pundits were also keeping a close eye on the “continuing battle” between the £50m extension planned by the owners of the Kingsgate shopping centre and the Kirklees Council-backed Queensgate development.
The Queensgate development includes a major department store, new shops, cafes, bars and restaurants, in addition to 170 residential flats and a 100-bed hotel.
Said Mr Andrew: “Both parties are courting Marks and Spencer as an anchor tenant – with the retailer thought to be keen to move its operations at New Street and the Piazza Shopping Centre onto a single site.
“Kirklees Council has refused planning consent for the extension of Kingsgate, although the developer is confident in securing consent at appeal.”
Mr Andrew said there was “substantial” investment elsewhere in Kirklees – notably at Redbrick Mill in Batley, which continued to form one of Yorkshire’s top retail destination outlets as well as providing studios for creative businesses and community art projects.
Meanwhile, developer PPG’s new site at Bretton Business Park in Dewsbury was transforming a former gasworks site to provide manufacturing and distribution space for occupants, including TC Bathrooms, Fast Alloys and Kirklees Council.
Said Mr Andrew: “Despite regular media reports of a national slowdown, Huddersfield and the wider Kirklees area continue to witness substantial and sustained investment.
“Planned or ongoing developments illustrate the continued optimism in Huddersfield and the wider Kirklees area as a destination location for occupiers within all sectors of the property market. Collectively, they will add to the economic prosperity of the area.”
