As part of their plans to support town centres to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, Kirklees Council are making some changes to how traffic moves around Huddersfield Town Centre. The changes support the council’s ambition to make it easier for people to make a choice about how they travel into Huddersfield town centre whether that is by public transport, in a car, on foot or by bike. They also aim to make it easier for people to keep to social distancing guidelines.
The changes cover eight streets and create more space for pedestrians, whilst also making sure those who need to travel into and park in the town centre are still able to do so.
The council is also increasing the number of disabled parking bays available. Whilst this does mean the loss of some existing, on-street pay and display parking bays, visitors to the town centre will still have access to ample parking in existing car parks. The recently completed car park on the former sports centre site has provided 166 extra parking spaces just a short walk away.
David Shepherd, Strategic Director for Growth and Regeneration said:
“The way we shop and socialise has had to change in response to the pandemic, but this isn’t a bad thing, it’s given us an opportunity to try new things and attract different customers.
We’ve seen businesses come up with innovative ways to stay open, where they have been allowed to, during the lockdown and I am sure we will see more of this as restrictions begin to be lifted, allowing more businesses to reopen. This is just the start of the recovery journey and we will continue to work with the business community and support the regeneration of the town centres in line with our ambitions as set out in our blueprints.
We are committed to working in a place-based way and that is why the approach we are taking may differ across Kirklees, with safety coming first in whatever we do. I would urge businesses that are getting ready for re-opening to check out the latest advice on our website and get in contact if they need any additional support.”
The council is committed to making it safer for everyone to spend time in the town centre, both during the pandemic and moving forward.
The council is using Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders to make the changes. These orders allow the council to carry out the work before a period of public consultation begins. The measures will be reviewed during the first six months and the public can make comments on the changes during this time period. Anyone who would like to share their thoughts on the changes can email: highways.tro@kirklees.gov.uk.
The following road changes in Huddersfield will come into force on 30 March 2021:
