Connecting people

We are working in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to deliver improvements to walking in west Halifax which aim to benefit residents, businesses, and visitors.

Making trips on foot, bicycle, scooter, or bus, rather than by car, helps improve health and the environment. When we travel in these ways, we lower pollution related to both breathing problems and climate change and improve our health.

The Leeds City Region Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) programme is focused on connecting people in the communities of greatest economic need with job and training opportunities through accessible, attractive, and cleaner transport. This will, in turn, help boost productivity, living standards and air quality, helping to create happier healthier communities for the future.

This work is more important than ever, not only as we look to address the health and economic challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in helping us achieve our aim of becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2038.

To achieve our ambitious net zero targets in this time frame we need to:

• reduce car trips by 21% 
• increase cycling trips by 2000%
• increase walking trips by 78%
• increase bus trips by 39%
• increase rail trips by 53% 

It is estimated TCF schemes will improve journeys by bus, rail, bike and on foot for up to 1.5 million people, take up to 12 million car trips per year off our roads and reduce CO2 emissions from car travel by up to 15,000 tonnes by 2036.

Elements of the project are also funded by investment from the Local Transport Plan. 

Plans

Through this project, we want to:

• Improve the urban environment,
• Provide better access to Halifax town centre,
• Make streets safer and better for walking,
• Improve access to bus stops and reduce journey times on bus routes.

Our proposals cover these areas:

• Lister Court

• Model Village

• Gibbet Street

• Queen’s Road
• Parkinson Lane
• Beech Hill
• Pellon Lane

Benefits

Health

Improved health, through increased walking and improved sense of safety.

Business

Increased footfall for local businesses.

Connectivity

Better bus and walking connections to Halifax town centre and employment, study, and onward travel opportunities.

Public transport

Improvements to bus reliability and facilities on key routes.

Environment

Reduced pollution and carbon emissions associated with transport, helping to address climate change.

Safety

Improved road safety for people in the area, especially vulnerable people.

Streetscapes

Improved streetscapes and public realm in Park Ward to encourage more active and sociable lifestyles.

 

Progress

12 December 2023

Feedback shapes improvements in north and west Halifax. The feedback gathered earlier this year has been used to shape the development of the next stage of detailed designs for each of the projects.

11 December 2023

We have been working on proposals for the West Halifax Improved Streets for People project. We have made changes following the public engagement sessions at the start of 2023. We have updated plans for the Model Village area around Hanson Lane and Gibbet Street and addressed concerns raised in the public engagement sessions.

You can read the West Halifax Improved Streets for People public engagement report 2023 to find out about our last consultation, what people told us, and how we’ve responded.

Updates to proposals

We have reviewed the design for the Memorial Garden area to include space for rest and play and more appropriate planting. Access to Heywood Place from Hanson Lane via Grosvenor Terrace will be closed to provide space for a larger Memorial Garden and more parking. Access to Heywood Place from Hanson Lane will still be possible from Cavendish Terrace, Cromwell Terrace, and Milton Terrace.

We have developed measures to prevent pavement parking and to protect pedestrians and vulnerable people, minimise use of bollards, and reduce street clutter.

We will install as many formal parking spaces on Gladstone Road as we can. These will complement green improvements, seating, and a new high-quality surface. Cars will be able to access Gladstone Road from Heywood Place and exit through the West Hill Street side. There will be no direct through-route to or from Hanson Lane and Gibbet Street from Gladstone Road.

We have developed the proposals for street furniture to include bins, seating, planting, and trees. We have included places to sit to meet the needs of the community who need somewhere to rest. Benches will be situated in locations which are overlooked by the community to reduce the risk of anti-social behaviour.

Cavendish Terrace and Cromwell Terrace will remain as they are, providing access to West Hill Street for vehicles from coming from Gibbet Street. 

Cromwell Terrace and Milton Terrace will remain as they are, providing access to Heywood Place for vehicles coming from Hanson Lane.

We have kept the marked parking bays on one side of West Hill Street and Heywood Place in this update to the proposals. Suitable parking spaces will be easy to identify, and there will be a clear route for emergency services, bin lorries, and other service vehicles.

The updated proposals include new road and footway surfacing along Albert Street, Hanson Lane, and Gibbet Street; and new level pedestrian crossing points across all access roads.

We have provided more trees to so that local streets have a high-quality ‘sense of place’. The types of trees will be appropriate low-maintenance species.

In this update to the proposals, Gibbet Street and Hanson Lane are to become one-way for short sections. On Gibbet Street this will be from Francis Street to Albert Street, and from Albert Street to Lightowler Road on Hanson Lane. We have thoroughly examined all options to retain the two-way arrangements. Gibbet Street is not wide enough to provide both a safe two-way route and improve pedestrian spaces. The one-way design provides a safe and high-quality footway for both sides of Gibbet Street and a significant increase in the provision of parking. On Hanson Lane, the one-way arrangement provides a much safer highway environment than the current two-way arrangement. The design is our response to the frequent occurrence of road traffic incidents along this road. We are committed to monitoring traffic impacts on surrounding streets and to ensuring that changes do not result in unacceptable levels of impact on other residential streets.

Bus operators will be able to run bus services on part of Queens Road high street, from Hanson Lane to Gibbet Street, for the first time in many years. This would provide enhanced access to local services such as pharmacies and support the development of Queens Road as a local centre.

What next?

We are hoping to start construction in autumn 2024 following approval from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

 

27 March 2023

We held a public consultation from November 2021 to January 2022. We listened to what people told us about the proposals and we reported on the results of that consultation in March 2022. Since then, we have been working on the designs with our consultants. We’ve made a number of changes:

The Model Village

• We have added landscaping to the proposals: appropriately placed street furniture, bins, seating, and green infrastructure, like planters and trees. We understand that some features, benches in particular, can be useful for some reasons (e.g. places for people to rest) and unhelpful in others (e.g. potentially attracting antisocial behaviour). We are thinking carefully about what works best where and why.
• We want to add areas for younger and older children to play.  We will continue to work with the local community to get the designs for these spaces right.​
• We are looking at where bus stops are best located. Some will be removed, others will be moved and / or improved. Those that are kept or moved will have better waiting facilities that are easier for bus drivers to see, and that allow level access to buses from the footway.
• We have added measures to prevent pavement parking, keeping space for pedestrians and vulnerable people in particular.​
• We have considered options for how vehicle access into the Model Village streets from Gibbet Street to West Hill Street should work. We have developed options for which of the streets should be the ‘in’ roads, a change which would open up the ends of Grosvenor and Milton Terraces, or to retain the existing arrangements with the access being from Cavendish and Cromwell. Our recent engagement has suggested that keeping the existing would be the preferred option. Further updates to follow.
• Our proposals provide new marked parking bays on one side of West Hill Street and Heywood Place. This would make it easier for drivers to identify the best place to park and allow emergency and service vehicles to travel along a clear route through the area.
• We are considering changing Albert Street so that it will become one-way from Gibbet Street to Hanson Lane. There are two options:
  • For Albert Street to become one-way from Gibbet Street to Hanson Lane. This option which would allow for more parking to be kept.
  • For Albert Street to remain two-way. This option would provide fewer parking spaces.

Gibbet Street

• The proposals on Gibbet Street, near Jamia Mosque Madni, are for a section from Francis Street to Albert Street to become a single lane, one-way road. Recent engagement has suggested that further options should be considered for how two way access might be retained. Further updates to follow.
• We have added street furniture and landscaping to the designs to discourage parking and driving on footways, to improve safety.
• We have changed the proposed layout for Grape Street so that it becomes part of the car park, to increase the parking provision and to make the car park a nicer area.
• We have added proposals for daytime parking restrictions on parts of Lightowler Road, to improve traffic flow.
• We have added proposals for a raised pedestrian crossing point across Gibbet Street and Lightowler Road which will make it easier and safer for pedestrians to access the Children's Centre and Health Clinic.

Hanson Lane area

• The one way section of Hanson Lane is retained. Feedback suggests residents and businesses on Hanson Lane are mixed with both voices for and against this proposal.
• One benefit, confirmed since the last consultation, is that this change would mean that bus operators would run bus services on part of Queens Road high street, from Hanson Lane to Gibbet Street, for the first time in many years.  This would provide enhanced access to local services such as the pharmacies and help support Queens Road as a local centre.

Queen’s Road

• We have reduced the widths of the carriageway and reduced centreline road markings in the proposals to address speeding
• We have added vertical features such as trees to reinforce the need to drive slower in the area through design.
• We have reduced the speed limit in the proposals to 20mph on Queens Road, to improve road safety and make the area more pleasant for walking.
• The measures create a balance between features that support walking, those that allow for parking, and designing the space to meet the needs of everyone in the area.
• We have added proposals for pedestrian guardrails to be replaced with bollards at junctions to make the area safer for pedestrians and to modernise the public realm.

Lister Court

• We have changed the proposals for the route to make it more accessible for people with reduced or no ability to walk, such as wheelchair users, families with buggies and older people with reduced mobility.

Beech Hill

• We have removed the double yellow lines from outside the first block of homes on Mount Pleasant Avenue from the proposals.

Pellon Lane

• We have adopted the suggestion to improve traffic signals to improve traffic flow in this area.

Parkinson Lane

• We have changed the proposals to provide a consistent 6m wide carriageway to make it easier for larger vehicles to move through the area, helping to improve bus journey reliability.
• We have added proposals to widen the footway in both directions coming out of the school to make it safer for pedestrians.
• We have added design features to Parkinson Lane, to reduce the speed of traffic travelling through the area.
• We have reduced the speed limit in the proposals to 20mph on Parkinson Lane.

If you have feedback, comments, or suggestions about any of our proposals, or if would like more detail about an area that may affect you, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can use our handy form or email us.

 

16 March 2023

We've updated proposals for north and west Halifax based on the feedback we received in the recent consultation. We’ll be sharing them at these events:

West Halifax proposals

📅 Monday 20 March 2023 from 3pm to 7pm

📍 Elsie Whitely Innovation Centre, Halifax HX1 5ER.

North Halifax proposals

📅 Tuesday 28 March 2023 from 3pm to 7pm

📍 Forest Cottage Centre, Halifax HX2 8AD. 

If you can’t make it, you will be able to find out all the information on the updated proposals on this page from Monday 27 March 2023.

January 2023

We have reviewed all from the last consultation. We are using what we have learned to develop our proposals.

We’ve have appointed a consultant to support us with the design process.

We are focusing on making improvements to the proposals for the Model Village, Gibbet Street, Lister Court, and Queen’s Road. We are updating parking and cycling proposals so that they better reflect the needs of the community.

We will be carrying out further community engagement ahead of full business case (FBC) submission later in 2023.

March 2022

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) have published the report on the public consultation held November 2021 to January 2022. It is available now on Your Voice: West Halifax Improved Streets for People- Round 2 Consultation Outcome Report.

We're analysing the feedback. We will use insights from the consultation to shape the detailed designs that will go into the full business case (FBC) submission to WYCA later this year. 

December 2021

We have extended the consultation period which is now open until Sunday 30 January 2022. Take part on Your Voice: West Halifax Improved Streets for People Round 2.

November 2021

We have made a number of changes to the proposals since the consultation in March and April 2021. The updated proposals are now available. Between Thursday 4 November and midnight on Thursday 19 December 2021, we are asking for your feedback on the proposals.

Your views are important so please let us know what you think.

After the public consultation is closed on Sunday 19 December 2021, all feedback will be analysed and considered as we develop the final designs.

September 2021

West Yorkshire Combined Authority have published the Consultation Analysis Report for the West Halifax Improved Streets for People consultation held in March and April 2021.

Spring 2021

The Strategic Outline Business Case (SOC) was approved in Summer 2020 and the Halifax Park Ward (Streets for People) and West Halifax Bus Improvements will now progress to develop an Outline Business Case (OBC). At this stage we will continue to define the scope of the project to identify the locations and type of improvements required in order to achieve the benefits. A public consultation took place in March and April 2021 and the results are being used to help inform the plans going forward.