These two key projects within the Dewsbury Blueprint will sit side by side in the town centre once completed.
Alongside this planning application the council has, for the first time, shared more detailed plans for the town park. This park is set to create several new draws which don’t currently exist in Dewsbury – including the largest green space within the town centre, and the first dedicated outdoor area for children of all ages to safely play and socialise.
Town Park
The town park will transition smoothly into the market’s outdoor offering – where food and drink can be enjoyed outside, and demountable stalls will allow for both an outdoor market area and a flexible space to support events. This will then transition into the indoor market, which will also be kitted out for a variety of different kinds of markets and events, whilst retaining the building’s beautiful historic structure and character.
Dewsbury Market
Plans for Dewsbury Market will create a more varied, day-to-night offering in Dewsbury town centre. The council aims to continue and improve the traditional market offering, whilst at the same time creating more areas for eating, drinking, socialising and events, giving people as many reasons as possible to visit Dewsbury.
Detailed plans for the market have already been publicly shared, although the council and architects have continued to consult with current traders around finer details – like potential uses for different areas, storage and facilities.
Meanwhile the park will include lots of open green spaces, seating and a substantial, partially-enclosed play area, which will benefit from lots of interesting features for children of all ages to engage with and enjoy. The planning application also allows for potential water features, which could both provide both a relaxing element for those enjoying the park and an interactive feature for the play area. There will also be an opportunity to include more art, with involvement from the local community.
Foundry Street and Dewsbury Arcade
The area surrounding the connected park and market will also benefit from these designs. Foundry Street in particular will become a lot greener and more pedestrian-friendly, providing a better and more pleasant connection to the neighbouring Dewsbury Arcade – set to reopen next year, around the same time work on the market and park is due to begin. The whole space – which, once completed, will also greatly increase the number of trees in the town centre – will be visible from the ringroad, creating a much more inviting impression of Dewsbury town centre.
What are the priorities for this project?
The priorities within these designs have been led by previous public consultation on the town park when the Dewsbury Blueprint was first launched. Strong themes within public feedback included the need for more greenery in Dewsbury town centre, an interesting water feature, and more opportunities for play and recreation.
Ongoing maintenance is also one of the council’s top priorities, with all features being extremely durable as well as easy to clean and maintain, to ensure every aspect of the space can benefit the town centre for many years to come.
Designing out crime, to create a safer town centre by design, is also a key consideration across these plans. Full visibility from end to end of the park (including the outdoor market space when demountable stalls are down) won’t just allow for enjoyable views but also for responsible adults to keep an eye on young children. This will also create a safer, more open and easily overlooked thoroughfare for anyone crossing the town centre, with more footfall from day through to night.
Working together
The council have been working with the Dewsbury Town Board and architects from the Building Design Partnership (BDP) Ltd. to develop designs for both the market and town park, and to make sure that these designs take into consideration all the public consultation previously undertaken on both elements, and all the feedback given by local people.
What will happen next?
If this planning application is accepted, the designs will continue to evolve and develop between now and work starting onsite in 2025. With planning permission in place, more scoping will be done on certain aspects, and the council will continue to work with architects, developers and current market traders to ensure that the final designs bring the greatest possible benefit at the best possible value.
Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance & Regeneration, says:
“Once we unveiled our updated plans for Dewsbury Market, the adjoining park was very much the missing piece. These are both aspects of the town we know local people greatly care about, and they have a huge part to play in Dewsbury’s future.
“The planning application we’ve just submitted marries these two key elements within our Dewsbury Blueprint, and shows how different this part of town is going to look within the next few years – not even taking into the account the amount of work we’re doing elsewhere in the town centre. It’s an incredibly exciting time for Dewsbury, these plans confirm our commitment to delivering investment to regenerate Dewsbury over the next few years and I can’t wait for us to get started.”
Councillor Tyler Hawkins, Cabinet Member for Corporate, says:
“Dewsbury Market is the very heart of the town and these plans for its future will be a game changer. A modern market offering more variety than ever before alongside the largest green space in the town is going to breathe new life into Dewsbury whilst retaining the history we’re all proud of.
Through consultation with local people, businesses and market traders, these plans are their vision for Dewsbury – A vibrant, bustling town centre with something for the whole family. Dewsbury’s future has never looked brighter!”
Councillor Munir Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Environment & Highways, says:
“I’m thrilled that as part of these plans we’ll be creating the largest green space in Dewsbury town centre, hugely increasing the number of trees, and creating a type of space that simply hasn’t existed in the town centre until now. Parks give people a place to come together, to socialise and enjoy family time, to exercise and enjoy the outdoors. We know how important this kind of space is to people living in Dewsbury.”
