Behind the scenes look at revamped Dewsbury Arcade as opening date approaches
The Grade-II Listed Victorian arcade sits in the heart of Dewsbury town centre and is being extensively renovated through a £11m scheme
As Dewsbury Arcade is preparing for a September grand opening, we take a look behind the scenes.
The Grade-II Listed Victorian arcade sits in the heart of Dewsbury town centre and is being extensively renovated through a £11m scheme funded by £4.5m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Town Deal grants managed by the Dewsbury Neighbourhood Board, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s Getting Building Fund, and capital funding from the council.
The historic property has been closed since 2016 before being purchased by Kirklees Council. Once it’s up and running, it will be the UK’s first community-run shopping arcade, managed by not-for-profit community organisation, the Arcade Group. The group will be leasing the property from the council.
Construction work is due to finish in June, with the official opening to follow three months later.
Speaking to Michael Broomhead from the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Chair of the Arcade Group, Jackie Ramsay, said: “It the arcade will be restored to the beauty that it was in its heyday. It’s a Victorian arcade and it’s just going to look stunning from a visual perspective, but inside as well – we’ll have restaurants, so you’ll be able to get food, coffee, we’ll have local independent shops, so you’ve got a whole range of different things that are coming into there.
“It’s good for us because we want to see this arcade re-established in the middle of Dewsbury. It’s good for the community because we will be the first community-owned shopping arcade, so that’s really good.”
Originally, the arcade was due to open in Autumn 2025 but several obstacles were encountered over the life of the project. This included those problems relating to rot and decay that were found to be “far more significant” than first anticipated.
Ms Ramsay added: “It has been difficult, without a doubt. They started the work in April 2024. The construction team found all sorts of issues. It has been a comprehensive refurbishment, so we’re pretty confident that what’s in there now will last for years.”