£1.25m confirmed for “iconic” Huddersfield building as “high-end” housing vision moves closer
The government money could help work to convert the Grade II Listed Estate Buildings
Over £1m of investment is on its way for one of Kirklees’ “most iconic” buildings, bringing it one step closer to becoming “high-end” town centre housing.
Located near Huddersfield Railway Station and the George Hotel, the Grade II* Listed Estate Buildings will soon benefit from a £1.25m boost, as was agreed by Kirklees Council’s Cabinet this week. The money comes from a pot of government cash – the One Public Estate Brownfield Land Release funding – and will cover “enabling works” like internal demolitions and repairs, to get the site ready to become new homes in the future.
Currently, it would be “very challenging” and expensive for a developer to convert the building due to its heritage and age, the meeting’s report explains. The local authority hopes that this new investment will reduce the future cost of turning it into homes, making it a “more attractive” opportunity.
Cabinet Member for Finance and Regeneration, Cllr Graham Turner, said: “Estate Buildings is one of our most iconic buildings. We have been investigating alternative use for the building and it has been earmarked for high-end flats. However, the cost of transforming the building into flats has so far proved to be problematic due to the high costs involved and given the nature of the building and its Listed status.
“Using this external funding to fund preliminary work will help bridge the funding gap. However, it won’t eliminate the gap but it will bring the gap down and increase the chances of finding further external funding to complete the project.”
He added: “We aim to be in contract by the end of March so the work can commence later this year.
“A key part of the Huddersfield Blueprint is our desire to create much more town centre living and to repurpose our iconic listed buildings to create high-quality living spaces. We want to create a modern town centre where people want to live, work and play and reflect the changing nature of our towns.”
The investment comes with conditions which state that the works must be in contract by March 31, 2025 and that the council must be in a contract to deliver homes by March 31, 2028. If the local authority fails to do so, some or all of the grant would have to be repaid.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Carole Pattison, said: “This can be a really exciting project and one that we should really help to get off the ground. It is an iconic building, it’s a beautiful building, it is so well located, it will be excellent accommodation for people to live in the town centre.”