Yorkshire firm selected for £320m town plaza project

At its peak, Marshalls, of Elland, hopes the project will employ 150 workers – including some new staff.

Group spokesman Simon Marshall said: "It's a fantastic project for our company. It'll be the largest one-off project we have built in Calderdale. We'll be constructing the whole site, from the hotel to the offices."

Leeds-based Gregory Group are the developers of the 50m project which will include a 100-room hotel, ten-pin bowling alley and multi-screen cinema.

Managing director David Brimblecombe confirmed work is expected to start at the end of July. He said: "We're delighted Marshalls is the preferred contractor, simply because of their very close links with Halifax and Calderdale. It seems entirely right that they have been selected."

Plans to develop the site have been under way for 15 years. Work resumed on the site after an 18-month break in March when trees were felled to make way for the development.

Big-name businesses including Chiquito Mexican restaurant and Frankie and Benny's announced they would open branches there. The site will include a 400-space car park.

There had been fears the plans would be scrapped because of the recession. In Bradford a much bigger project in the heart of the city centre is in limbo because of the credit crunch.

Earlier this year the Yorkshire Post reported how landscaping work was due to begin on the site of Bradford's stalled 320m shopping centre.

The 15-acre city centre site has been empty since demolition work began in 2004 to make way for Westfield to build the long-awaited Broadway development.

Now the vast construction site is to be turned into "a temporary green oasis" after agreement was reached between developer Westfield Bradford, regional development agency Yorkshire Forward and Bradford Council.

According to the council, Westfield will create a "safe and manageable space", install walkways, green spaces and lighting before finally removing the hoardings to allow public access.