A PLAN to give Huddersfield town centre named quarters has been proposed by a newpressure group.

Town First, a group formed to promote retail in Huddersfield and fight the Asda and Tesco supermarket proposals, says it wants the town centre to improve its identity and be more like Manchester or Leeds.

The group, backed by Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman, says the re-branding of the area would help promote tourism and revitalise flagging trade.

The initial idea for the scheme would see a large map installed at St George’s Square with signs dividing Huddersfield town centre into distinct areas such as Manchester’s trendy Northern Quarter or Leeds’ upmarket Victoria Quarter.

Town First spokesman, Hugh Goulbourne, said the idea stemmed from a map created for the Great Big Huddersfield Treasure Hunt, an event in July, used to promote shopping in the town.

Mr Goulbourne said they planned to present the idea to Kirklees Council this week.

He said: “When you speak to people outside of Huddersfield they don’t really know what it’s about.

“This would remind people that Huddersfield is a historic town in the same way that York is.

“Who knows, if enough people talk about it we may have the new quarters signposted in time for Christmas.”

Mr Goulbourne added that they had surveyed 100 shoppers during the treasure hunt event and had received lots of positive feedback.

Early suggestions include the Georgian Quarter, Victorian Quarter, Imperial Quarter and Kings Quarter.

Mr Sheerman said the plan was “rather imaginative” and said he would like to encourage some debate over the naming of the quarters.

He said: “I think we need a university quarter and we may find that we have more than four quarters.

“We have the finest Victorian square in England so I think Victorian is obvious but as for the rest I’m not sure.

“It’s been tried out in other cities and worked and we’ve got to look at how we make Huddersfield an ever more interesting place to come to.”