Fate of Halifax neighbourhood centre in the balance
Senior Calderdale councillors are asked to reaffirm a community asset transfer and partner a lottery funding initial bid for a Halifax historic building – but also to dispose of it if the latter is unsuccessful.
Grade II-listed Queens Road Neighbourhood Centre could potentially be transferred to Halifax Opportunities Trust (HOT).
Council Cabinet members can also choose to dispose of the building without any of these stages, although that is not a recommended option, say council officers.
Originally a school, the building in Park ward has had various uses over the years, including providing community services, locality health and fitness provision, offices for the council’s neighbourhood team and a range of partnership activity benefiting residents and Calderdale more widely.
HOT is a locally based community “anchor” organisation delivering a range of regeneration and enterprise support activities, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet is told.
Work on a potential community asset transfer of Queens Road Neighbourhood Centre to HOT began four years ago – but the building needs major refurbishment.
An application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2025 for funds was unsuccessful and the building was closed last October because of health and safety concerns.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet are asked to support a new path forward when they meet for the first time since May’s local elections next Monday (July 13).
Members are asked to reaffirm a previous Cabinet decision, made in October 2024, to proceed to the next stage of the community asset transfer process and agree a Lease and Joint Working Agreement with HOT.
They are also asked to agree the council should be be a joint applicant with HOT to apply to the National Lottery Heritage Fund again, this time for funding up to a maximum of £610,000 – for the development stage of plans only.
The senior councillors are asked to agree to enter into the required partnership agreement to enable the joint funding application to be submitted.
This should be on the basis of no financial contribution from the council in the joint funding application, they are advised.
The councillors are told the next steps will depend on the outcome of the new application.
If it is successful, Cabinet should delegate authority to senior officers, in consultation with the relevant Cabinet member, to enter into a Lease and Joint Working Agreement to enact the community asset transfer to HOT by the end of December 2027.
But if it is unsuccessful at development stage the councillors are asked to approve disposing of the building – taking into account asset of community value rules in place at that time.
And if an intended later HOT delivery stage funding application for work is unsuccessful and the building returned to the council – by January 2029 – that Cabinet approves disposal of the building, again taking into account asset of community value rules in place at that time.
If all goes well, HOT have confirmed that they would assume responsibility for the building by the end of December 2027, with a view to the building being open to the public again by November 2030, according to the papers.
Cabinet members meet at Halifax Town Hall from 4pm on Monday, July 13.