AN ambitious development scheme which could bring in more than £200m to Huddersfield has been unveiled.
Kirklees Council and Cibitas Investments Ltd have announced that they have entered into an agreement to promote the comprehensive redevelopment of a 47-acre "corridor" linking Huddersfield town centre to the Galpharm Stadium.
The scheme will provide a mix of employment, leisure and residential uses and is targeted on the growing demand for living and working in high-quality environments which offer easy access to town and city centres.
The idea is to link the town centre and the Stadium, reinforcing the potential of the Galpharm Stadium to become a leisure hub serving Huddersfield and the surrounding area.
A story in the Examiner last week revealed how Kirklees Council was looking to improve views of the stadium - and the first casualty could be Ibbotson Flats at the junction of Southgate and Leeds Road.
Cibitas is a group also in partnership with Manchester City Council to create at 84-acre £500m quarter in east Manchester.
The group will now start work on details for the scheme which, subject to the approval of both parties, will form the basis of a planning application by the end of this year.
Work on the 15-year project is expected to begin next year.
Clr John Smithson, the council's Liberal Democrat deputy leader and Cabinet member for regeneration, said: "This initiative very much complements the wider Kirklees Strategic Economic Zone blueprint.
"Clearly, these are early days and with projects of this size there will be many planning, traffic, transport, environment and other issues to consider.
"Consultation with residents, land and property owners will be crucial to the process. Their input is very important.
"Attracting the interest to Huddersfield of a company like Cibitas shows that there is immense commercial interest in Huddersfield and Kirklees.
"We are delighted to be working with Cibitas on promoting the potential for this particular area from the town centre to the stadium."
Cibitas is a consortium of European and UK developers who specialise in large-scale area-based regeneration.
The shareholders in the company are ING Real Estate, Stanhope plc, Waystone Ltd (part of the CP Holdings Group) Sir Alan Cockshaw (former chairman of both AMEC plc and English Partnerships) and Andrew Buxton (former chairman of Barclays Bank).
