Published:
The first part of Brighouse Town Deal’s town centre transformation is approaching completion, with the new look for the western area due to open in late September and updated plans for the rest of the works confirmed.
The first part of the revamp began in January as part of the £19.1 million UK Government funded project which is being delivered by Esh Construction on behalf of Calderdale Council and the Brighouse Town Deal Board.
The parts of Commercial Street, Market Street and Briggate where works have been taking place over the past eight months will be re-opened fully to traffic, with loading and disabled bays plus on-street parking reinstated. People will begin to benefit from a new public and events space at Thornton Square, new trees and road surfaces, and wider and more level footpaths to help get around the town centre easily and safely.
The Council has reviewed the future Town Deal plans and there will now be more parking bays than initially planned for shoppers and visitors on Bradford Road, while through traffic will also continue to be able to use Commercial Street to travel eastbound across the town centre once the scheme is completed.
To help ensure that the construction can continue on site as revised plans for the rest of Commercial Street and Bradford Road are completed, the next area of work will now be in the south of the town centre.
This will include Bethel Street, Canal Street, Ship Street and potentially Park Street. This work will start in late September, once Commercial Street has re-opened to through traffic, and run until spring 2027. For most of this period, Bethel Street Car Park will unfortunately need to be closed.
As well as the new paving, planting and crossings which are transforming the appearance of the heart of the town centre, the Town Deal plans, and the changes being introduced, put the emphasis on providing a more pleasant and safer welcome for pedestrians, shoppers and visitors on foot while retaining important access for those who need to drive into the town centre.
Upon the re-opening of the first areas of work in September, the current pay and display parking restrictions for on-street parking will remain in place with no changes to the days and hours they apply. The additional changes will include the introduction of zonal parking and a new vehicle weight limit throughout the town centre.
Zonal parking means that all vehicles will only be able to park in the designated signed bays and there will be no waiting or loading except in these signed bays. There will also be a new 7.5t weight limit throughout the town. Full details are available on Brighouse Deal - Reopening and next steps.
Work will continue on the feature paving in Thornton Square into the autumn, including on the gateway to the town centre from Owler Ings Road. This will not affect the vehicle access on Briggate (in front of the old Town Hall) which will re-open as part of the completion in the first area of work.
Across the town centre, all shops, properties and venues will continue to be open for access for customers, residents and staff, and Esh Construction will be stepping up their visits in the next month to discuss the changes and work through arrangements with the businesses directly impacted, to ensure it can be business as usual as much as possible.
Steven Garrigan, divisional director at Esh Construction said:
“Working closely with Calderdale Council and the Brighouse Town Deal Board, we have agreed a revised delivery programme that will enable us to progress directly into the next phase of works. This approach has been developed to help maintain momentum on the scheme while minimising disruption for residents, businesses and visitors wherever possible. Esh remains committed to delivering these public realm improvements that will support Brighouse’s long-term growth and regeneration.”
The Brighouse Town Deal projects are delivering:
- A more attractive, safer and cleaner town centre so those who shop, visit and enjoy spend longer, spend more and return often.
- A better, warmer welcome for those arriving in the town by any means, with on-street and off-street parking for those using cars to access the town centre.
- A place to come together providing a community space at the heart of the town in the historic Thornton Square.
- A focus on the future with investment in apprenticeships, skills and training building on the town’s manufacturing heritage and work to encourage trade and investment.