Historic England backs plans for visitor centre on Huddersfield's Castle Hill
The heritage group had previously opposed plans for a new café and interpretation centre at the ancient site
For the first time in two decades, Historic England is backing the Thandi Partnership’s plans to bring a visitor centre to Castle Hill.
Historic England has been consistent in its position throughout the planning process, believing that while the ancient site would benefit from a well-designed, well-executed building, it could only be supportive if it was given the confidence that the public benefits would outweigh the “less than substantial harm to significance”.
Clearly, it now believes this to be the case, having withdrawn its objection. The public body says that the latest documentation from the Thandi Partnership – which includes plans for rooms, a café, and interpretation facilities – presents a “much clearer vision” of how the site will be operated, the public benefits that will be secured and how they will be implemented.
The Thandi Partnership has previously named the free visitor centre, which would allow people to get a deeper understanding of Castle Hill’s 4,000-year history, as one of the benefits of the scheme, along with free access and refreshments for visiting school groups, a staffed information desk, public toilets and accessible facilities, among others.
To ensure the promised public benefits can be delivered in full and sustained for future generations, Historic England has “strongly advised” Kirklees Council to commission an independent audit of the business plan. A target date for a council decision to be made on the application had been set for March of this year, but with this long gone, it is unclear when a final decision can be expected.
Managing Director of the Thandi Partnership, Indy Thandi, who is leading the project, said: “Historic England doesn’t hand out endorsements, they make you earn them. Their process is relentless, forensic, and often unforgiving. Every element of our proposal was interrogated for its impact on heritage, public value, and long-term sustainability.
“Most projects never make it through. The fact that we’ve secured their support is a powerful statement: it proves this project meets the highest possible standards of heritage protection, while finally unlocking Castle Hill for the people, carefully, respectfully, and permanently.”
Since the current application was submitted in December, there have been several rounds of consultation. In this time, more than one hundred representations have been made – the majority of which, in objection. However, when the most recent consultation came to a close, the Partnership said there had been a “sharp decline” in objections from the public. An objection from the Victorian Society still stands.
As one of the oldest continuously used highland settlements in the country, Castle Hill has served as a Bronze Age gathering site, an Iron Age hillfort, a medieval stronghold, and today, a symbol of civic pride, marked by the tower built in 1899 to honour Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
“This is more than just a building,” said Indy Thandi. “It’s a place for everyone, for learning, community, and reflection. We want to give people a reason to come, to stay, and feel proud of what Castle Hill represents.”
Under the latest plans, the current development is to be self-funded by the applicant, with a ÂŁ3.75m investment planned and no public cash required. It will be delivered through a Community Interest Company and is designed to serve more than 443,000 people across Kirklees.
Revenue would be generated through the restaurant, café, bar, coffee shop and overnight accommodation, among other income streams, supporting documents explain. The applicant says that 65 per cent of all surplus will be reinvested into the site, educational programmes, conservation and local community initiatives.
The development of the historic site has a controversial past, with the Thandi brothers securing permission to refurbish the Castle Hill Hotel in 2002. During construction, planning conditions were breached and an enforcement notice was issued. The council ultimately ordered the demolition of the newly-built structure.
None of the parties involved in the earlier development have any involvement in the current plans, the partnership has previously confirmed.