Dewsbury has a rich heritage that we are committed to celebrating and preserving.

The story so far

Dewsbury Townscape Heritage Initiative

The Dewsbury Townscape Heritage Initiative, jointly funded by Kirklees Council and the National Lottery Fund, saw £3.7 million invested in improving nine buildings in the Victorian core of the town.

Dewsbury Revival Grant scheme

We have invested £1.25m in the Dewsbury Revival Grant scheme, which launched in February 2020. The scheme gives businesses money to improve the appearance of heritage buildings on key streets within the town centre. This has resulted in making shop fronts more attractive and allowing for improvements to upper floors that opens them up to other uses. Improving the appearance and usability of these important buildings helps existing businesses to attract customers and encourages new businesses into the town centre.

We will also make sure that the owners of poorly maintained properties are tackled using planning and other environmental powers.

Dewsbury Heritage Action Zone

We are working in partnership with Historic England to deliver a Heritage Action Zone for Dewsbury.

The scheme runs for five years beginning in 2018 and ends in 2023.

What's next?

Fieldhouse

Fieldhouse is a four-storey building which stands opposite Dewsbury Railway Station, in the area around Daisy Hill and Bond Street - one of the key areas marked for development as part of the Dewsbury Blueprint.

Fieldhouse is also a Grade II* Listed building, part of the Dewsbury Town Centre Conservation Area and the Dewsbury Heritage Action Zone (HAZ). The area was awarded HAZ status in 2017 - this means Historic England want the area to be protected because it's historically significant.

We plan to create a new neighbourhood around Daisy Hill, made up of homes which are both excellent quality and affordable to rent or buy.

Once completed, the neighbourhood will feature new buildings and converted ones. The plans will give Fieldhouse - and other buildings - a new purpose and lease of life and will future-proof some of Dewsbury's beautiful historic architecture for future generations.

Fieldhouse itself will be the flagship of the development, transformed into 23 spacious apartments and commercial space. Once finished, this building will be known as Station Apartments .

Dewsbury arcade

The arcade is Grade II Listed and was built in 1899. Being a popular town centre thoroughfare right through to 2014. It currently consists of 17 small retail outlets. The arcade is also bookended by larger three-storey units at the Market Place and Commercial Street ends. The shops are around 250 sq. ft, with the end units more than twice that size.

The arcade is located within the Dewsbury Town Centre Conservation Area. The condition of the building has been gradually deteriorating over the last ten years. Most of the building became vacant, and the thoroughfare closed to the public four years ago.

The Heritage Fund has initially approved £106,657 of development work. This is the first stage of the application which is part of a bid of £3.7m towards the overall project costs of £7m. Securing this money will enable us to progress development work leading up to the submission of the second-round application in November 2022, which will seek final approval of this significant grant.

The Arcade Group, made up of six Dewsbury businesspeople, is set to run the Arcade. They have set out a plan to ensure the vibrancy, inclusivity and family-friendliness of the Arcade. You read about their plans on their website Dewsbury Arcade Group .