First step to revitalised Waterfront

A major project to redevelop the Waterfront Quarter in Huddersfield is set to take a step forward. A £950,000 package of highways works in Manchester Road is due to begin in June.

The scheme will help to prepare the infrastructure for the 175m Waterfront development, which will provide a new base for Kirklees College and, it is hoped, create hundreds of jobs in Huddersfield.

Included in the scheme are new traffic lights to reduce congestion and closed circuit TV (CCTV) to increase security and monitor traffic.

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The work will also include a 600 metre bus and cycle lane; "real time" information in bus shelters to tell people when they can expect their buses to arrive, and 250,000 of road resurfacing throughout the length of the scheme.

Kirklees Council cabinet member for regeneration (south) Coun Peter McBride said that as well as improving public transport, the measures were strongly linked to the flagship development.

"This project is about far more than creating a bus lane. It's a whole package of improvements and it also boosts regeneration. We are helping to improve public transport, but the measures are also about long-term planning and are strongly linked to the huge, flagship redevelopment of the Waterfront Quarter.

"The Waterfront development is on a site between Manchester Road, Chapel Hill and the River Colne, so we need to have access in place and be prepared for the extra traffic this important scheme will generate."

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He said that acting early to provide the right infrastructure ensures a problem does not develop further down the line. Coun McBride added: "It is common sense to prepare in advance because the Waterfront development is a 175m scheme and the single biggest regeneration project currently ongoing in Kirklees."

The site will include a new building for Kirklees College, 300 new homes, 190,000 sq ft of offices, plus cafes, bars and leisure space.

"It will also provide hundreds of local jobs and create a brilliant community for people from far and wide."

He said that the highways works that were recently approved were "part of the council ensuring that the Waterfront regeneration can run as smoothly as possible".

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He added: "Of course there will be shorter-term benefits for road users in a place that has suffered congestion for years, but I hope people also bear in mind the bigger picture – and the need to show potential investors in Huddersfield that we really mean business."

The councillor also moved to answer concerns about funding for repairing potholes. "There have been questions about why the council doesn't spend this money on fixing potholes, but the simple answer is this – we can't.

"The funding comes from a Government pot which pays for changes and improvements to the transport network in West Yorkshire. Councils aren't allowed to use it for running repairs."

The Manchester Road scheme has been developed in partnership with Metro and local bus operator First. It applies to the section of Manchester Road between Huddersfield Ring Road and Longroyd Bridge.

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Kirklees has announced it was releasing an extra 600,000 of funding to deal with road damage caused by the most extreme winter weather for 30 years.

The council says it is also working to upgrade the road network across the district by cutting journey times, reducing pollution from cars and improving the reliability of public transport.