Cleckheaton Blueprint
Spen Bottoms is a valued natural space in Cleckheaton, lined up for transformation. Our masterplan aims to improve biodiversity, heritage, and recreation, enriching this area for the community and local wildlife. Find out more information and comment on our consultation at Spen Bottoms masterplan consultation.
The Cleckheaton Blueprint lays out our long-term plans for the town centre, building on Cleckheaton's heritage while also looking to its future.
Throughout these plans, we are looking to make the town centre more green and sustainable. We'll also be looking to help local people be more active, and improving Cleckheaton's connectedness with the rest of Kirklees and beyond. And, last but not least, we're embracing Cleckheaton's diversity and making the town centre more inclusive for everyone.
The Spen Valley Greenway is a great asset to Cleckheaton. It safely connects places and provides a direct car-free link to Low Moor Station and Dewsbury.
We're improving connections between Spen Valley Greenway and the town centre. This will provide a new front door into Cleckheaton for passing walkers and cyclists, helping to drive footfall in the town and support local businesses.
The work will include pedestrianising Cheapside and Cross Crown Street, to connect the Greenway with Spen Bottoms. On Cheapside, we'll create a brand new play park and will encourage pavement cafés, making the area a great place to socialise for people of all ages.
We'll be implementing traffic calming measures to make road travel near the Greenway smoother and safer. We'll also be making things safer for people on foot, by removing parking in the underpass and improving lighting.
We'll be extending the park up to meet the town. We'll also install a new playground and a track for running and walking, along with a bridge crossing Spen Beck to complete the loop. This route will help connect the playground, tennis club, football pitch, picnic spaces and fishing lakes.
There will be better access to the dam, and a cycle link onto the Mann Dam Viaduct, which will be repaired to improve the surfacing and lighting. This cycle link will provide a safe route between the Greenway, the Ringway and neighbouring villages.
Entrance improvements will be made, and we'll look at removing insecure parking, extending the existing car park
The market is an important part of the town but needs refurbishment to secure its future.
We'll be making big improvements to the outside of the market building. By adding a large window we'll connect the market with Savoy Square, making the space more indoor market more inviting, and will possibly relocate the market's café to this area so that visitors can make the most of the view.
Savoy Square itself will be transformed into a beautiful outdoor space, with a natural amphitheatre created by a small green mound separating the space from Bradford Road. This land sculpting will create a sense of enclosure and reduce noise from the busy road.
The improved public square could bring with it a wealth of possibilities, from pétanque and a space for deckchairs in the summer to hosting outdoor cinema, theatre, or music events within the amphitheatre.
Closing the road on the north side of Market Square will create a new beautiful and accessible outdoor space, with greenery, high quality seating and opportunities for new street cafés.
South-facing buildings will be connected to the new square, and there will also opportunity to add a new residential space above the existing single-storey unit to the north of the square.
Netherfield Works could become the new home for Cleckheaton's Creative Arts. Small business units, workshops and associated exhibition space could provide a dynamic quarter in the north of the town.
The main yard would be semi-covered to create a central meeting space.
We're looking at a new development on Church Street, and ways to reduce traffic.
A new, high quality housing development adjacent to the park entrance will also bring more activity into the area, making it feel more safe and secure.
How the investment is funded
Kirklees Council are investing £1.5 million into Cleckheaton town centre.
Consultation
To find out more about the engagement undertaken by Kirklees Council, you can access the
Cleckheaton Blueprint Consultion Report.
This blueprint has been developed with lots of input from local residents and businesses, as well as those who regularly visit Cleckheaton. Engagement began in 2018, with people able to comment on issues in Cleckheaton and ideas for improvements, and this helped form the basis for the blueprint. A public consultation was then held on the initial plans in July 2022.
Your feedback has greatly shaped these proposals. Most recently it has led us to prioritise car parking over new developments at the junction of Northgate, Westgate, and Market Street, to further review the role of the town hall in the new plans, and to look at additional 'street scene' improvements like better accessibility and seating.