On Monday 3 June, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet will consider proposals to take forward plans for the regeneration of the Beech Hill area of Halifax.
The area, just on the edge of Halifax town centre has been identified by the Council and the Together Housing Group, as one which would benefit from a number of changes, transforming the area, and creating a more attractive environment for the local community.
In 2011 the Council appointed master planning consultants Aecom, who produced a Development Framework report listing possible regeneration plans, and how these could be delivered.
To produce this report, Aecom regularly consulted local residents and occupiers of buildings in Beech Hill, finding out about existing issues, and also opportunities in the area.
The resulting report identified five connected areas in Beech Hill which could benefit from regeneration; the existing low rise housing, the three existing tower blocks, the Council’s Highways depot, the area around the Police station and around Beech Hill School. A number of development options were explored; however, each would require a significant amount of funding.
In order to take forward a practical scheme, it is proposed to appoint a developer to work with the likely main partners – Calderdale Council and Together Housing. This would allow a deliverable investment proposal to be worked up in detail, and bring specialised skills and additional capacity.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy and Environment, Cllr Barry Collins, said:
“The proposed regeneration of the Beech Hill area in Halifax would provide a real boost for the local community, providing a well designed, good quality place to live and to work.
“There are around 300 housing units in the existing tower blocks which have been empty for almost a decade. Given the size of the Council’s housing waiting list, the Council and its partners must act to regenerate the area. It’s a crying shame that these flats are empty, and something needs to be done.”