Work is progressing on the Brighouse town centre improvement programme, with a redesign of the scheme retaining more parking space and allowing traffic to travel through the town more easily.
The changes in Brighouse are part of the Town Deal aimed at making the town a more attractive place for people to shop and spend time and money.
Calderdale Council recently paused work on the second phase of works to streets and public spaces in the town, to allow for a review into the scheme and ensure that the changes benefit local people and businesses.
Retaining as much parking as possible has been a priority, and a redesign of the scheme will allow for 18 of the original 22 spaces on Bradford Road to be kept. This includes the provision of two disabled bays.
Across the town there will be more loading bays and disabled bays, and further work is taking place to look at options to provide additional short-stay parking.
A review of the proposed pedestrianisation of Commercial Street is also underway to explore options to retain through traffic in the town.
Construction will continue to be phased, but work will continue with the contractor to explore if further changes can be made to minimise disruption associated with the remaining work.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, Cllr Darren Commons, said:
“Following our decision to pause and review the planned second phase of works in Brighouse town centre we have carefully looked at the options for the project. We’ve been listening to the voices of local people in Brighouse, many of whom expressed their concerns about the ongoing disruption and parts of the original design.
“We want to ensure that changes in the town bring the desired benefits, and we’ve been working hard to develop a redesigned scheme that works better for business owners, visitors and the town itself.
“We recognise the importance of accessing the amenities of the town by car, with convenient parking available, so I’m pleased that we’ll be able to retain the majority of spaces which were due to be lost on Bradford Road. We are also investigating other options for parking, including promotion of the nearby car parks.
“Further work is taking place to look at other elements of the project and we’ll ensure that any changes work for everyone and are completed as soon as possible.
“We know that whilst construction is underway that there will inevitably be disruption. That’s why we’ll also be supporting a marketing campaign to ensure people know that Brighouse is open for business, with lots to offer visitors.”