Published:
Plans to make it easier and safer to walk, wheel and cycle in Elland are set to move a step closer, and will be discussed at Calderdale Council’s Cabinet meeting on Monday, 12 January 2026.
Better connections to the proposed new Elland Rail Station are planned as part of an ‘access package’ including two new pedestrian and cycle bridges crossing the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation, and improvements to pedestrian routes, public spaces and the cycle network.
Together, the planned new station and access package aim to improve people’s access to jobs, learning and opportunities. Routes will be improved and journeys will be shorter between the station, Elland town centre and surrounding areas such as Exley, West Vale and Greetland. This will help local businesses and attract new ones, support the planned increase in homes in Elland and western parts of Brighouse, and make it easier and safer for people to choose active ways to travel, which are better for their health, air quality, and the environment.
Constructing a new pedestrian bridge will create links from the area north of the River Calder, whilst also creating a direct link to the Route 66 cycleway and towpath. From West Vale, a second bridge will connect people to the Route 66 cycleway, providing connections into Elland and a continuous route to the proposed rail station.
To make these essential improvements happen and ensure people fully benefit from them, and to tackle longstanding congestion issues and poor links to public transport in the area, the Council needs access to some land owned by other parties.
In November 2025, the Secretary of State gave the Council formal permission to acquire the land through a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO). This enables construction of the improvement scheme, following detailed conversations and negotiations with landowners and a period of public engagement, in which people showed strong support for the new station and access package.
At the Council’s Cabinet meeting on 12 January 2026, Councillors will be asked to approve the next steps to action the CPO and acquire the land needed for construction.
Cllr Scott Patient, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Housing, said:
“It’s great to see progress towards new walking and cycling routes connecting West Vale and Greetland to Elland and the proposed new rail station. The benefits this will bring to people, the economy and the environment made it vital for us to acquire the land needed to construct the improvement scheme. It will lead to shorter, more pleasant and less congested journeys to and from Elland and the surrounding housing and industrial areas.
“Helping people to travel home, to work, to education and to business and leisure opportunities supports our priorities for reduced inequalities and thriving towns and places. By making it easier and safer for them to do this actively and sustainably, we’re also contributing to climate action, health and wellbeing.”
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet meeting will take place on Monday 12 January 2026 at Halifax Town Hall from 4pm. The meeting will also be live streamed online.
Think you know Elland? Think again. Witness the rebirth of this great market town.