Tesco tables plans for £120m of developments in Huddersfield

Feb 20 2010 by Henryk Zientek, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Tesco tables plans for £120m of developments

The hotel would stand at the junction of Viaduct Street and Castlegate to provide 72 guest bedrooms across four floors. Above the hotel, the scheme envisages two floors of private apartments providing 10 one-bed and 10 two-bedroom units.

A fourth block stretching along Viaduct Street would provide four restaurant units with five floors of private apartments above.

A fifth block also fronting Viaduct Street would provide four floors of office space while a sixth block facing Brook Street would house four shop units with 60 affordable housing units over four floors facing the open market.

The scheme would also include parking for 415 vehicles – made up of 292 spaces in a five-storey car park and 123 spaces on a surface car park.

The document said the site at present was dominated by the existing supermarket, car park and petrol station, which created “dead frontages” with limited pedestrian access and linkages with the rest of the conservation area.

It said the existing buildings were of no historic or architectural merit and were detrimental to the character and appearance of the conservation area.

The document said: “The scheme has been designed to take maximum advantage of its relationship to the open market and listed viaduct arches.”

And it added: “The design of the proposal is appropriate, given the context of the site, and will bring about considerable regeneration benefits and townscape improvements to this part of Huddersfield town centre.”

Kirklees councillors will rule on the application, which has been lodged by Tesco and lead developer DPP, of Leeds.