Kirklees Council’s Cabinet have just approved a grant for the creation of a brand new event space in St. Peter’s Gardens, in Huddersfield.
St. Peter’s Gardens is one of the key areas highlighted for improvement as part of the council’s ambitious Huddersfield Blueprint, a plan for more than ten years of investment to breathe new life into the town centre. Alongside its inclusion in the Huddersfield Blueprint, St. Peter’s Gardens has also been identified as part of the green network supporting the council’s Station to Stadium enterprise corridor, and as part of the ‘Golden Routes’ programme approved at Cabinet in September 2020. The area is also included in the Kirklees Highway Design Guide.
In October 2020, St. Peter’s Church was granted planning permission for the creation of an area for multi-functional events, as well as incidental parking associated with the church. Kirklees Council, in partnership with key stakeholders – including the Parish Church, a registered charity – developed concept options for this event space and the wider gardens.
Today, the council’s Cabinet approved a grant of £471,900 to the Parish Church. This grant will be used to deliver the first phase of work in the area: the multi-use event space, which will sit adjacent to the church and within the wider gardens.
The grant comprises £350,000 of capital funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which has been provided from the Mayoral Combined Authority and which Cabinet allocated to the St. Peter’s Gardens project in October 2022. It also includes a further £121,900 allocated for the ‘Golden Routes Capital Programme’.
David Shepherd, Strategic Director for Growth & Regeneration, says:
“It’s exciting to see another piece fall into place for the Huddersfield Blueprint.
“What we’re doing here – and elsewhere in Huddersfield and Kirklees as a whole – is creating multi-functional spaces that suit a vibrant, modern-day town centre. We want to breathe new life into Huddersfield and help local businesses thrive, with a truly varied offering and developments that will stand the test of time for years to come.
“It’ll be great to work closely with the Parish Church and see this new space in St. Peter’s Gardens brought to life.”
Charles Maltby, programme director of Huddersfield Unlimited, said: “Another well placed investment into Huddersfield to enhance how the diverse community can interact and draw more activity back into the town centre. Its location close to the Station to Stadium Enterprise Corridor should also mean further interaction with the new businesses drawn into the town and from travellers using the upgraded Trans Pennine Rail services as all these investments deliver on their potential.”