The new year is here and with it comes a catalogue of massive projects set to change the face of Huddersfield.
More developments are on the way for Huddersfield’s historic town centre in 2025, as plans unfold as part of the multi-million-pound blueprint project and other initiatives. Visitors can look forward to the opening of a brand new cinema and leisure complex in the coming year, along with other ambitious projects moving a step closer to being realised.
From the major cash boost secured from the Levelling Up Fund for a revamped market and better train connections, to large-scale regeneration schemes like the Blueprint and George Hotel, the transformation of Huddersfield town centre will be continuing through 2025.
Cultural Heart
A view of Huddersfield’s new Museum and Art Gallery
(Image: Kirklees Council)
Work on the mammoth Huddersfield Cultural Heart project will be continuing on throughout 2025, as the transformation of the Piazza area and Queensgate Market picks up pace.
Part of the former Queensgate Market building is being demolished to make way for a new food hall, modern library in the east wing, and public square. These elements of the wider scheme are expected to be open to the public by Summer 2026.
Looking further ahead, Phase 2 of the scheme, covering the museum and gallery and public realm, is set to be up and running at the start of 2029. Plans for the facilities, which now will be jointly-located in the former library building at Princess Alexandra Walk, were submitted earlier this year, after changes due to financial pressures required another permission.
As for the subsequent phases, Phase 3 considers the Queen Street Plot, with a use for this part of the scheme yet to be determined after proposals to turn it into a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) block for Greenhead College fell through. Phase 4 will see the construction of a new park and the final phase, Phase 5, features a new venue and multi-storey car park.
The construction of the later three phases is currently set to take place between 2026 and 2031.
Kingsgate Leisure
How Kingsgate could look when the new leisure scheme is completed
(Image: Covell Matthews)
Huddersfield’s new cinema and leisure complex located in the former House of Fraser store at Kingsgate is almost within reach, expected to open around Easter 2025. The development was due to open this September but operator, The Light, confirmed in June that the project was still “early in the build process”.
Once the work, which began in March last year, is complete, the complex will feature six cinema screens, 10 bowling lanes along with new restaurants and other leisure activities.
George Hotel
Huddersfield’s iconic George Hotel, built in the 1850s and which in 1895 was the birthplace of rugby league. (Image: Kirklees Council)
Works to transform Huddersfield’s iconic George Hotel into a boutique Radisson RED are set to get underway in Summer 2025.
The project originally had a budget of £20.2m but an additional £9.8m boost was recently agreed by Cabinet to accommodate soaring construction costs, findings of asbestos in the basement and the “historical underpinning” of the façade at John William Street. The additional cash will be redirected from the pot of funds for the £262m Our Cultural Heart Project.
The timeline for the project had been up in the air for a while, with Kirklees Council unable to confirm when the hotel was expected to open until very recently. Now, the hotel is expected to be up and running in Summer 2027, with a new planning application needing to be approved along with Listed Building Consent.
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This is due to changes made to the original plans, which would have seen 91 rooms brought to the hotel. Now, this number has been upped to 108 rooms to generate more income, with the price of a stay per night also set to rise from the £80-£90 figure originally projected, to £100-£110.
Despite the amendments, Radisson is still on board as the hotel operator, with a spokesman saying in October: “It’s really exciting to be involved with this impressive project and we look forward to continuing our work on it. We’re proud to be supporting the local community and economy by regenerating one of Huddersfield’s most iconic buildings, while expanding our Radisson RED presence in the UK.”
Levelling Up Success for Huddersfield
An artist’s impression of the new Huddersfield Market
(Image: Kirklees Council)
One scheme expected to develop over the coming year is a revamp of Huddersfield Open Market. All four of Kirklees Council’s bids to the previous government’s Levelling Up Fund saw success, with £16.5m awarded for the market. The new government recently confirmed this funding, and new plans have been released by the council, with consultation coming to a close on December 23.
Under the plans, the market building at Northumberland Street would return to its original colours of red, pink and cream, and “essential” repairs would be carried out on the Grade-II* Listed building, dating back to 1887.
The council says the new market will provide an improved traditional market, a better food and drink offering, events and support for local businesses and entrepreneurs. Two new buildings and an improved public realm are also proposed as the ‘Market Yard’, and would be located in the area next to Tesco’s car park.
A further £48m was confirmed to improve the infrastructure on the Penistone railway line in the hope of eliminating the capacity issues and other constraints that are currently experienced. The line runs between Huddersfield, Penistone and Sheffield, via Barnsley.
Transpennine Route Upgrade
(Image: (Image: Getty))
This year will also see work on the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) continuing in Huddersfield, with a 30-day closure planned from the end of August to September 2025 to make way for the works on Huddersfield Railway Station. A further closure will follow during the Christmas and New Year Period in 2026/27, with work on the station expected to be finished early in 2027.
Work on the town’s Grade-I Listed railway station began in late 2023, with this part of the TRU coming at a cost of £70m. Once this is completed, the station will boast longer platforms, a new layout, new footbridge and refurbished roof structure with restored lantern. Works to electrify the line will continue beyond this date.
When we went behind the scenes in November, much of the work was focused around the iconic Euston roof which was undergoing a restoration. On top of this, the station’s Grade-II Listed timber tearooms have been painstakingly dismantled into 8,000 pieces by hand and taken off-site to be later reinstated.
Huddersfield National Health Innovation Campus
How the Emily Siddon Building will look after completion in December 2025
(Image: University of Huddersfield)
Construction of the second building at the University of Huddersfield’s £250m National Health Innovation Campus (NHIC) at Southgate got underway in 2024, with the building expected to open at the end of 2025. It will be named after leading healthcare advocate Emily Siddon who spent most of her life in Honley.
The first of the campus’ buildings, named after Daphne Steele, the first black matron to join the NHS, has already welcomed students. It features state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for the University’s midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, operating department practice, paramedic science, physiotherapy, podiatry and speech and language therapy courses.
The University has planning permission for up to seven buildings as part of the NHIC, with its ultimate aim being to improve health outcomes and lead innovation in healthcare for the North of England, while bringing together public-facing facilities including award-winning student-led clinics.
Gasworks
Another project that will alter the Huddersfield skyline is the dismantling of the town’s 127ft gasholder off Leeds Road. Work to dismantle the iconic structure is set to begin on January 7, 2025 and be completed by the end of February and comes as part of a wider demolition plan including the Gas Club and two more “dilapidated” buildings – a garage referred to as ‘The anti-freeze building’ and a single-storey building named ‘The Rail Shed’.
Huddersfield’s gas holder is the last of 47 to be demolished by Northern Gas Networks as it looks to get rid of redundant assets in a bid to reduce maintenance costs and risk. The organisation says that there are “no plans to restore or remediate” the site once work is completed but that the void below the gas holder will be filled to ground level.
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