Completion of the first project in the £17.5 million Todmorden Town Deal transformation has been marked by a special visit to the town by Government officials.
The end of work to improve the environmental performance of Grade II listed Fielden Hall is a major milestone in the UK Government funded Todmorden Town Deal – the first of many as the regeneration programme continues to make good progress across the town.
Calderdale Council and Todmorden Town Deal Board welcomed representatives from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to Todmorden.
The Calderdale Council programme team and Pam Warhurst, Chair of Todmorden Town Deal Board, led a tour of the Town Deal projects, giving the Government representatives the chance to see the projects progressing.
The tour started at the Hippodrome Theatre, where work is underway to extend and refurbish the building to create more performance, event and rehearsal spaces and improve accessibility.
Next up was Todmorden Learning Centre and Community Hub, which is having its spaces and facilities improved for the community to use, and its energy efficiency boosted to cut running costs.
The tour then moved to the Enterprise Centre, where work continues to create affordable, high quality rented workspace for businesses, including start-ups. This will help local enterprise to thrive, and links with schools and Todmorden Learning Centre and Community Hub will help develop opportunities for young people to work in skilled jobs in their town.
Centre Vale Park was the fourth stop. This part of the Town Deal will create brand new facilities in the town’s major green space and bring its much-loved features back into use. The adjoining historic Fielden Hall has been upgraded as part of this project. Work has started on refurbishing the park’s Grade II listed bandstand and the bowling pavilion to provide enhanced community meeting space. The project includes improvements to the tennis courts and to the area surrounding the war memorial, as well as a new play area. The park will become easier for everyone in the community to access and will be able to host more high-quality sports, leisure, arts and cultural activities and events.
The tour ended with a Todmorden Town Deal Board meeting and an opportunity to thank everyone working on the projects. Calderdale Council Cabinet Members, Ward Councillors and Town Council representatives attended.
Cllr Sarah Courtney, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, said:
“Todmorden is a hive of activity, with unprecedented regeneration underway to make it an even more thriving place. It was great to showcase the scale of everything that’s happening, and how well the Town Deal projects are progressing, with the Government funders who were really impressed with what they saw.
“The community is really pulling together to help develop the local economy and transform this market town, and we’re proud of the partnership work with Todmorden Town Deal Board.”
Pam Warhurst, Chair of Todmorden Town Deal Board, added:
“This visit was a fantastic opportunity to show our Government funders the level of progress we have achieved in Todmorden to date, with many of our projects now well underway. The Board was particularly proud to demonstrate the quality and dedication of community leadership driving the improvements across Todmorden forward and to showcase the level of partnership with local people and Calderdale Council that is bringing this exciting programme to fruition.”
For more information about the projects visited, plus all the other great Town Deal projects (Public Places in the Heart of Todmorden, Todmorden Town Hall and Active Todmorden), visit www.todmordentowndeal.co.uk (external link)