Key details
Investing £19m in partnership with the Brighouse Town Deal Board to build a town where history lives, communities come together, memories are made, and the economy can grow.
Current status
Plans
The Town Deal programme is part of the government’s plan for levelling up the UK economy. We applied to the fund in 2020. Brighouse has been awarded £19.1m for projects to reshape and reinvigorate the town and to support long term economic and productivity growth. We are developing the designs and delivering these projects.
The vision for Brighouse
The Brighouse Town Deal Board developed a number of projects based on the Town Improvement Plan and Vision Masterplan, and local consultation. These projects build on the strengths of the town such as its compact town centre, independent shops, sense of belonging, and diverse events and arts programme. They address some of the town’s opportunities: traffic circulation, more public green space, and access to the canalside.
Objectives
We aim to create a place that offers a special experience for the community and visitors. Independent shops, events, and facilities; a place that is welcoming and pleasant to spend time; and a place that is green and easy to walk and cycle.
Our vision for Brighouse has four objectives:
Place
We want to reinvigorate Brighouse town centre as a distinctive destination for the community, Calderdale and beyond.
Health, wellbeing, and sustainability
We want to improve links between the town centre and green spaces to provide access to nature and encourage health and wellbeing improvements by making walking and cycling more attractive.
Enterprise
We want to build on the town’s manufacturing history, encourage trade and investment across the Leeds City Region and across the UK and the world.
Inclusive Growth
We want to provide greater access to skills and employment with a focus on apprenticeships and vocational learning and encouraging businesses to grow and create jobs.
Benefits
Entry points
We will remodel streets and spaces at the main entry points to Brighouse. We’ll create space for pedestrians and cyclists travelling between home, work, and the town centre.
Commercial Street
We will improve the quality and feel of the street and the retail experience.
Public areas
We are going to upgrade public space to improve the feel of the town and provide places for community events.
Canalside
We are going to better connect the canalside to the town centre.
Walking and cycling
We will a provide high quality of finish to pedestrian areas, and new cycle storage around the town centre.
Arts, culture, and interpretation
We will provide space for leisure and recreation in Brighouse. The offer will complement surrounding towns and cities; adding to the attractiveness of the region.
Design
We are working with the Brighouse Town Board to deliver five projects:
Brighouse retail and leisure
We are investing £9m on the retail and leisure offer of Brighouse town centre by prioritising people, enhancing the streetscape and providing places to sit and meet friends. The changes will increase footfall, dwell times and support the 24-hour economy. Our ambition is to increase the time spent in Brighouse and the amount spent in shops, cafes, and restaurants.
View of proposals for Commercial Street
1: Free of traffic
2: Wider pavements
3: Places to sit made of natural materials like stone and timber
4: One-way traffic
View of proposals for Bethel Street
1: Free of traffic with places to sit
2: Plants and street trees add a little green to the town centre and help to reduce the effects of flooding
3: High quality locally sourced natural materials like sandstone
4: One-way traffic
5: Entrance to Bethel Street car park
Canalside and Thornton Square
We will invest £6m to help improve outdoor recreation opportunities and the image of Brighouse with enhanced connectivity to the Canalside. We will harness the historic value of Thornton Square to provide a quality event and community space. Our aim with this project is to increase the number of visitors to the town by providing better places for cultural and heritage events.
View of proposals for Thornton Square
1: New town square. A destination for people to get together and space for events.
2: Carefully chosen materials to complement local heritage and buildings
3: Places to sit made of natural materials like stone and timber
4: Street trees add shelter from the rain and sun, and add greenery
5: One-way system
Brighouse welcome
We will invest £400,000 to develop public areas on the edge of Brighouse so they are more welcoming for people walking and cycling into the town centre. The changes will support active choices, contribute to Calderdale’s climate commitments, and enhance Brighouse’s profile as a destination. Our aim is to increase the number of people choosing to walk or cycle.
Map view of proposals for changes to routes through and around Brighouse
Map view of proposals for parking for vehicles and new cycle parking
Market revitalisation
We will invest £3 million to deliver a new market building on the Canalside with space for 40 fixed and pop-up market stalls, supporting infrastructure, and spaces to sit, meet and rest. We are building better facilities for stall holders and creating a flexible event space in the centre of the market. We hope this will also encourage new businesses and start-ups, providing a route for them to use pop-up stalls occasionally, through to fixed market units, to permanent commercial space in the town centre.
Aerial view of proposals for Brighouse Open Market
1: New Brighouse Open Market with stalls around the outside
2: Level space for events or temporary market stalls
3: New timber frame main entrance
4: Potential new entrance and exit connecting the market to the canal side
5: Seating areas inside the market with views out over the canal
View of proposals for the main entrance of Brighouse Open Market
1: Locally sourced natural stone to complement neighbouring buildings
2: Improved pedestrian area at the front and level access to the market
3: Secure metal gates featuring a Brighouse-themed design
4: Proposed location of new cycle parking
View of proposals for Brighouse Open Market from Ship Street
1: Decorative gates with a design matching the front gates
2: Level access to the market entrance from Bethel Street car park
3: Small wall with fencing allows daylight into the Market Tavern
4: Access gate for Market Tavern storage area
5: Two new entrances and exits connecting the market to Ship Street
Industry 4.0 & Skills
We are investing £650,000 to put high-tech manufacturing at the heart of Brighouse’s future and creating an industry 4.0 hub where small- and medium-sized businesses can explore how digital technology can improve their productivity and increase innovation. Calderdale College is leading this project and creating opportunities for 70 apprentices at the Hub. A range of short training programmes designed to help employers upskill their workforce is part of the offer. The i4.0 Hub is located at The Engineering Centre at Kirkdale House on the Armytage Road Industrial Estate.
The i4.0 Hub is made up of three themed suites or labs:
The IT Suite (Lab 1) - Creating
IT suite where Internet of Things (IoT), CAD design, Siemens’ Solid Edge Manufacturing, Technomatix, NX and Mendix Academy software, along with Unity Design, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), AR/MR development and other business software technologies are used to explore digital solutions to production and business challenges.
The Reality Room (Lab 2) - Testing
VR/MR brings the IT Suite theory to life, allowing for the test of prototypes and solutions designed in Lab 1 within the virtual world, and in a safe and controlled manner. They will be able to see their design come to life and see what impact it has on production, efficiency, and processes.
The Robotic Room (Lab 3) – Making
The third lab will make use of the latest in automotive and additive manufacturing technology. Users will have the opportunity to experience equipment that early i4.0 adopters have access to and learn how to innovate through its use. Equipment will consist of: EinStar 3D scanners, Ultimaker 2+ Connect/S7 Pro Bundle and Mayku Multiplier 3D scanning, miniFactory Ultra 2, and a Fanuc RoboDrill D14MiBP with CRX-10iA/L Collaborative Robot.
Progress
27 September 2024
Brighouse Open Market to move to a new, temporary home at Daisy Street car park, this weekend.
22 August 2024
Following planning approval, we have appointed Triton Construction to build the new Brighouse Open Market on the canalside. Brighouse Open Market will temporarily move to a section of Daisy Street car park in late September while the rebuild takes place.
16 July 2024
Last month, representatives from 19 businesses visited the brand-new i4.0 Hub at Calderdale College Engineering Centre in Brighouse, to discover how they can upskill their workforce using advanced technologies.
20 March 2024
We're starting ground survey works in Brighouse from 25 March 2024.
The survey work will help us to complete designs for the A641 improvement scheme and Brighouse Town Deal projects.
We will close the towpath between Brighouse Market and Ganny Foot Bridge so we can do the surveys. A short diversion will be in place. The footway at the front of the market on Briggate will also be closed.
Some parking spaces in Owler Ings and Daisy Street car parks will not be available during the survey works.
18 March 2024
The outcome of the main planning application for the new market is due in the next few weeks.
We have submitted a separate planning application so the market can continue trade in Brighouse during the rebuild. The location for the temporary market will be Daisy Street car park, just a short walk across Anchor Bridge from the market's current home.
Read: Work stepped up to deliver Brighouse’s new market.
Review: Planning application for the temporary market.
Information about the Brighouse temporary market from The Brighouse Town Board.
5 February 2024
Members will consider proposals for significant investment to enable new sustainable growth opportunities in and around Brighouse, which will support the delivery of the Local Plan for Calderdale.
Read: Supporting a thriving future in south east Calderdale.
18 December 2023
High-tech manufacturing through Industry 4.0 will come to the heart of Brighouse in 2024 with the launch of the i4.0 Hub, where small- and medium-sized businesses can explore how digital technology can improve their productivity and increase innovation.
18 October 2023
Following the three-week engagement process in the summer by Calderdale Council and the Brighouse Town Deal Board, the design of the distinctive new market building has been finalised, a planning application is being submitted, and the tender process to find a contractor is due to start soon.
Read: Milestone for Brighouse Town Deal as plans progress for new market.
September 2023
Thank you to all who took part in our recent public engagement activity, we received almost 300 detailed responses.
We’re continuing to review all the feedback and working with key teams across the Council to find an approach that balances the needs of those with an interest in Brighouse.
We know that people are passionate about the future of Brighouse and we’re working hard to deliver this scheme. We’ll provide further updates as the plans progress.
10 May 2023
We're inviting people to discover and discuss the latest designs for the future of Brighouse. We're investing £19.1 million in Brighouse over the next three years.
The latest plans will be available from Monday 15 May on the Brighouse Deal website. The plans will also be shared at two events:
- Saturday 20 May, 10am – 3pm at Brighouse Open Market
- Wednesday 24 May 6pm – 8pm at Brighouse Central Methodist Church
Read: Brighouse’s £19.1 million Town Deal investment – Discover and discuss the latest plans
Brighouse Town Board
More information is available from The Brighouse Deal including news from the Brighouse Town Board and updates on progress. If you have questions or comments on these proposals, email the project team: brighousetd@calderdale.gov.uk
Funding
Approximate scheme value: £19M.