Heckmondwike Blueprint

At the heart of Heckmondwike we'll create a new public square, away from the noise and irritation of traffic. The plan is for the square to be an informal, intimate and versatile space for local people and visitors to enjoy.

This could include a new library, community building, and a public space with seating to encourage people to spend time and socialise. The former bingo hall could be refurbished and reoriented to overlook the main space, and beautiful artwork could be displayed on the rear walls of the Westgate retail units.

We know Green Park and its memorial are much loved by residents in Heckmondwike.

The park is currently separated from the town centre by bus roads on all three sides. By rerouting traffic off Northgate, the park can be extended up towards the south-facing shops, creating a safe, inviting and beautiful space for local people and visitors to enjoy.

This expansion will also allow for a cycle lane alongside new footways, creating better connections with the New Square and the Greenway for everyone.

Aside from the beautiful Listed clock, Market Square currently consists of a hard-surfaced car park with no seating or landscaping. This parking will be relocated to Oldfield Lane (with potential to keep some accessible parking bays), allowing for the creation of an attractive new green space and creating a much more pleasant environment for shoppers. Once finished, the area will include new seating, footpaths, and even space for outdoor market stalls, bringing more vibrancy and buzz to the town centre.

Algernon Firth Park has recently been refurbished with a new playground, fitness and picnic areas, and a beautiful new gate welcoming people to the park. We want to encourage more people to visit the park by improving connections with the town centre and other green areas in Heckmondwike, and by improving signage.

New pedestrian crossings will be added directly from Green Park, and new signage in Green Park and on Westgate will help people find their way around Heckmondwike’s most attractive outdoor spaces. A well-lit walkway, featuring a special track for joggers, will reconnect the whole area, improving safety and encouraging more people to use the routes.

The neighbouring area is allocated for new housing, and this provides an opportunity to extend Algernon Firth Park and its access into this space. We hope that the new housing overlooking the space will create still more community involvement and ownership over this beautiful area.

The Spen Valley Greenway - a well-used walking, cycling and running trail, connects Heckmondwike to Cleckheaton, Dewsbury Moor and beyond. The link between the Greenway and Heckmondwike town centre could be much better, and this will be one of the blueprint's key focal points.

The access point on Station Road will be widened, and we will add more signage to make sure people are aware of the Greenway link. A new cycle lane will run along Swallow Street and Beck Lane, creating a safe connection into the new Market Square and the town centre.

In partnership with the West Yorkshire combined authority, we're upgrading the Heckmondwike Bus Hub into a full bus station.

We'll be building accessible indoor facilities so passengers can wait in comfort, with access to real-time travel information. There will be new accessible toilets including a Changing Places Toilets facility. We'll also be increasing the number of bus stands from four to six, to increase capacity.

Outside the station we'll be reducing car parking for safety, but creating more cycle parking. We'll be improving public areas and adding more seating, an entrance canopy and more greenery.

As well as making journeys nicer for passengers, making travel by public transport a more viable option should reduce traffic congestion, thereby improving air quality and journey times, and will help us meet our target of reducing Kirklees' carbon emissions to zero by 2038.