Brighouse Towns Fund

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 the Brighouse’s future by 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 will lead on this project providing space to create opportunities for 70 new apprentices. 

Progress

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