Built Environment

Project Champion: Tom Lonsdale

Vision:

To create a high quality environment in the village centres which consider parking, paving, disabled access, public art and street furniture.

Achievements to date:

A major design survey has been commissioned and the main recommendations are now being considered by the Renaissance steering group, Kirklees Council and Yorkshire Forward, with a view to seeking funds for implementation.

Targets for the next twelve months:

Two packages of work are likely: One a relatively modest 'housekeeping' exercise, addressing signage and clutter reduction, which can be managed by the community. The other will involve more ambitious changes, such as altering the design of the highway and changes to traffic management. This would need to managed by Kirklees Council, when funds permit.

Early indications have been that the type of work does not ideally match Yorkshire Forward’s criteria for funding priority. There has also been uncertainty about the relationship between the village centre enhancements and major development initiatives such as New Mills in Brougham Road, Marsden and Globe Mill, Slaithwaite.

The following documents have been produced as a result of this project:

• Village Centre Enhancement manuals for Slaithwaite & Marsden (to be published and available shortly)

Project Champion: Michael Blake
Aim: To provide a sustainable expansion of the existing employment and housing access along the banks of the canal.
Achievements to date:

• We have held meetings with the owners of major sites in Marsden and Slaithwaite, where it is either known, or expected, that the uses of those sites will change within the next five years.
• Encouraged the owners to become involved in the Renaissance process and to think about using the sites for purposes that will provide employment and business opportunities, as well as housing.
• Talked to planning officers to promote the idea of a masterplan for the village centres.
• Encouraged joint working between planning officers, site owners and the renaissance steering group to achieve renaissance objectives.
• Introduced consultants working on feasibility studies for other priority projects to the owners of Globe Mills, Slaithwaite and New Mill and Bank Bottom Mills, Marsden to see whether the needs of those projects and the aspirations of the site owners could be matched.

Targets for the next twelve months:

• To continue to encourage site owners to take an active part in the Renaissance process.
• To promote good design where new buildings are constructed.
• To look at a range of documents: Parish Plans, Viiilage Design statements and Area Action Plans and to look at the merit of producing a similar document for the Colne Valley.
• To recruit an appropriately skilled project steering group to take this idea forwards.
• To get major local landowners together in a forum.

The major challenges of the project to date have been:

• Being able to demonstrate to site owners and planning officers that there is an advantage to them in being active partners in the Renaissance process.
• Finding sources of funding and officer time to engage in a strategic master planning project.