2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Abigail Marlow)
It’s been a tense week at Kirklees Council, as more major decisions are made including the closure of a much-loved leisure centre. A contentious Cabinet agenda saw a high turnout of concerned councillors and residents from across North Kirklees, who were primarily concerned with the fate of Dewsbury Sports Centre which faced the axe. Their frustrations were compounded by the item appearing later in the meeting which allowed millions more pounds to be put towards Huddersfield’s George Hotel.
Inbetween the more controversial items were plans to pursue a Compulsory Purchase Order for a flat at Buxton House, which the council needs to acquire before continuing on with its £16m development of the high-rise block. READ MORE: Inside the 'severely damaged' listed Huddersfield building with asbestos and a leaking roof Below is a summary of the three major decisions that were made this week and the arguments around them: The issue of Dewsbury Sports Centre’s future had been rumbling on for over a year, with the centre first closing its doors after being found to contain collapse-prone RAAC concrete. The community was left heartbroken by the closure, with a campaign group, Save Dewsbury Sports Centre , relentlessly fighting in the hope of saving the much-loved centre.
However, the recommended option which received unanimous Cabinet approval will allow the permanent closure of the site, along with the demolition of the council-owned wet-side, with this space set to become a car park or take on another alternative use. This chosen option comes with a £3.5m price tag, plus whatever it takes for the council to get out of a 125-year long lease on the dry-side.
A number of councillors from north Kirklees and members of the public were left outraged by the plans, with this made clear throughout the meeting. Councillor Tanisha Bramwell (Community Independents, Dewsbury West) said the council needed to focus on the community’s needs instead of “vanity projects”, while Cllr Paul Moore (Community Alliance, Dewsbury East) voiced his concern for the potential health impacts in already deprived areas. A petition racking up over 3,000 signatures was submitted to the council in the hope of saving the centre, with this the number of signatures needed to trigger a Full Council debate.
This will take place next week, though the closure decision has already been made. Multi-million-pound plans to regenerate the Huddersfield high-rise had hit upon a hitch, with the council needing to force the sale of one of the flats in private ownership before being able to move forward. The local authority had made numerous attempts to contact the owner whom the council believes is living abroad, the meeting heard.
The council owns the freehold to Buxton House, the associated shopping centre and car park, but had granted a 175-year lease to a company called ALB Kirklees Ltd in 2012. Going into the meeting, the local authority had already acquired this interest, along with the commercial units below the tower and the first floor car park. With the latest approval, the council can now pursue a Compulsory Purchase Order for the flat, allowing the project to progress, with the hope that this can be done before costs increase.
The £16m allocation for the remodelling of Buxton House makes up a wider £57m programme of fire-safety improvements across Kirklees which came about in the wake of the Grenfell Disaster. With the cash, Buxton House will have 46 flats, rather than the 57 at present, along with a larger entrance from Albion Street, new electric scooter and bike storage, wider corridors and larger communal areas. The block is currently under 24/7 fire-watch surveillance to ensure the safety of tenants who are gradually moving out to make way for the developments.
The flats currently stand over 50 percent empty. Despite the setback, the council hopes to begin construction in November 2025, with completion expected by October 2027. A £9.
8m boost for the regeneration of Huddersfield’s historic George Hotel was also agreed this week, which is to be transformed into a Radisson RED. The major project was originally given a budget of £20.2m but this figure has risen to £30m in light of soaring construction costs and unexpected works.
The council had previously secured planning permission for a 91-bedroom hotel but couldn’t come to an agreement with its chosen contractor due to “unaffordable” costs. As a result, the local authority opted to move forward with a different contractor which has seen the plans change and become more cost-effective. Now, the hotel is set to have 108 rooms which are expected to cost between £100 and £110 per night, rather than the £80-£90 that was proposed initially.
The adjustments mean that the council will once again need to secure planning permission and listed building consent before spades can go in the ground. The date the hotel was expected to be up and running has been pushed back several times, with the hotel initially set to be open to the public this year. The latest timeline anticipates that work will get underway next Summer, with the hotel opening in Summer 2027.
Questions were raised around the “fairness” of the scheme, particularly given the recent cuts to some facilities and services in the north of the borough. Assurance that this would be the last time the council was asking for extra cash for the project was also sought, with Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Cllr Graham Turner, saying he was “confident” this would be the case. A spokesperson for Radisson said prior to the meeting: “It’s really exciting to be involved with this impressive project and we look forward to continuing our work on it.
We’re proud to be supporting the local community and economy by regenerating one of Huddersfield’s most iconic buildings, while expanding our Radisson RED presence in the UK.” Get all the latest and breaking Huddersfield news straight to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here..
