Dewsbury Heritage Action Zone

Aims of the Heritage Action Zone

Dewsbury's Town Centre Conservation Area is at risk, with many buildings remaining unoccupied and many are in a state of poor repair through lack of investment, maintenance and neglect.

The HAZ programme can help change this by helping to manage growth within Dewsbury and make Dewsbury's heritage assets productive. It can help shape change in a way that protects and enhances the heritage of the town and will help accelerate much needed change.

Dewsbury HAZ is one of many ambitious plans the council has to regenerate the town centre by halting and reversing the decline of heritage assets and promoting the quality of its environment to encourage inward investment.

The aims are to

• Improve the condition, appearance and sustainability of key buildings and sites within the Dewsbury Town Conservation Area
• Support the living town concept by introducing new activity through reuse of vacant buildings and sites within the zone
• Develop a new heritage home ownership model with Historic England
• Improve public spaces within the town centre and connectivity between them
• Deliver a programme of engagement with participation from all communities to recognise and celebrate the area's heritage'

Area covered

The Dewsbury HAZ covers part of the whole Dewsbury Town Centre Conservation Area. The area to the west of Market Place has been identified as an area that could benefit greatly from the HAZ due to the number of listed buildings and poor condition of the buildings.

Grants and restoration: Repurpose Historic Buildings

There are limited funds for grants. The HAZ project team will target a limited number of buildings within the HAZ boundary for financial support.

The HAZ project officer will make direct contact with owners of the targeted buildings.

Buildings will be chosen if they help to reinforce the character and historic significance of the area and can also support the living town concept through the reuse of buildings.

Grants will be awarded towards the cost of repairing and refurbishing buildings so that they can be converted into new uses.

Grant aid of up to 50% is available for eligible works for properties that help to reinforce the character and historic significance of the area.

Grant aid up to 75% could be available on elements of a property scheme that has significant heritage value. The elements eligible for the higher level of grant are:

• Re-roofing and leadwork
• Rainwater goods
• Structural timber repair
• Masonry repair
• Render repair
• Windows and external doors
• External joinery.

Other projects

• Baseline Data and Evaluation - as the HAZ is part of a national programme it is important to be able to report its achievements against key local and national indicators
• Historic Area Assessment which will help us to understand Dewsbury's historical origins and how the town developed
• Enriching Historic Listing - which can help to review and identify un designated assets as well as listed buildings within the town
• Daisy Hill Development Framework - help towards developing a master plan for Daisy Hill by identifying key buildings and sites for re development
• Home Ownership Model - help towards developing a housing model for the town
• Community Engagement - help the local community connect and understand the towns heritage and historical importance and work with local schools to champion the town's heritage.

Contact