A DECISION on whether Queensgate Market Hall will become a listed building is expected at the end of this month.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport has held public consultations on whether to list the building.

If it is listed, it will mean restrictions are placed on alterations that can be made to the structure and to extensive development plans for a large slice of Huddersfield town centre.

The consultations finished on November 26 - but a decision has still not been made.

Resting on the decision are Kirklees Council plans for the future development of The Piazza area of Huddersfield.

Last year, council-commissioned consultants came up with seven options for redeveloping the Piazza, library and Queensgate area of town.

Around 74% of the 539 people surveyed by the council about the schemes in favour of the larger schemes - some of which involved demolishing the existing 1970s Queensgate market hall.

Some said the market hall was run down and unpleasant inside.

However, Huddersfield Gem - which applied for the market to be listed - is a group which feels the market's architectural values should be preserved.

If its application is successful, the council's schemes will have to be changed.

Christopher Marsden, of Huddersfield Gem, said: "We continue to get requests to show people round the building.

"Even some people who think they know the town well are surprised by the elegance it when they look at it, rather than the produce and goods on the stalls ."

Mr Marsden said Huddersfield Gem had expected a decision to take this long and he was happy that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport were considering the consultation responses carefully.

He said: "The department received a lot of submissions during the three month consultation period and they all have to be gone through with a fine tooth comb. Then the final decision will be by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell MP.

"The time being taken is what we expected and we are hoping for a decision to list the building."

He said that whatever the outcome, Huddersfield Gem will work with authorities to try and develop proposals which preserve the market and regenerate the town centre.

While the group waits for the listing decision, they are helping Kirklees Council with a structural survey of the building.

Mr Marsden said: "The fruits of our research on the building have been given to the council with the contact details of the engineers who worked on the construction of this unique and special building."