22nd September 2006
Artist's impression, looking north across the River Colne, showing a narrowboat on the far side of the square.
Picture: DLG Architects
Huddersfield's exciting new "Waterfront" Quarter" has been given the go-ahead!
Kirklees Council has given approval to the revised plans, which involve a twelve acre site lying in a triangle between Manchester Road, Chapel Hill and the River Colne immediately to the south of the town centre. The site includes part of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal between Locks 2e and 3e - a section which was re-opened to navigation in May 2001.
To those interested in the canal, the most important change from the original proposal is that the canal, at present in a tunnel, will be brought back up to ground level. When the canal was restored in 2001, Lock 3e was re-located to the west of the site, with a cut-and-cover tunnel taking the canal below the factory premises. It is now planned to build a new lock, a few yards west of the original site of Lock 3e, near Chapel Hill. This will then raise the canal back to its original level through the site.
The original proposals for this development included a canal basin, but this has been modified so that there will now be a mooring lay-by above the new lock, alongside the new public square.
Artist's impression. In practice, the canal would be about 15 feet higher than the river.
Picture: DLG Architects
The scheme will cost £175 million and will see the site, currently occupied by Sellers Engineering and West Riding House, transformed into a mixed development of waterside café bars and restaurants, offices, 500 apartments and a hotel.
Sellers Engineering will move to new purpose built premises close to Huddersfield.
Folly Hall Mills, on the opposite bank of the River Colne, are to be transformed into offices in a separate development, which will be linked to the Sellers' scheme via a footbridge.
The Huddersfield Narrow Canal currently runs in a tunnel below Sellers Engineering. Photos showing the construction of this tunnel can be seen here.
Lock 3e is to be re-located back to within a few yards of its original position. The tunnel will be in-filled and the canal re-built on the surface. The work will involve the closure of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal while this work takes place. The whole development will take four years to complete. It is not yet known when work to re-build the canal will take place.
External Link:
Waterfront Quarter website
