Calderdale Council set out 'Halifax Vision' to boost town over the next 10 years
The council has pledged to look at ways to fill empty shops, support people into jobs and boost transport links
Money might be tight but a council having a vision for how its major town might look in ten years’ time will put it in a prime position to attract investment, says its leader.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet agreed to adopt the Halifax 2036 Place Vision, setting out a way a way forward for the town over the next decade.
Leader of the Council, Coun Jane Scullion, said the document attracted media attention, perhaps because Halifax in some ways represented towns of the north hit by Covid, economic downturn, and growth of both online shopping and out-of-town shopping centres.
Halifax had struggled and people’s responses were direct that they were disappointed about the town, speaking about things having gone downhill, losing shops and feeling the council needed to do better, she said.
But Coun Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said the Vision gave her “a degree of excitement for the future.”
A question asked was how the council was going to do anything without much money – but it was important to have a Vision leading to detailed plans which in turn could attract investment of the type the last and current Governments were looking at for towns and cities.
“We think there should be more money in towns and the more you’ve got a vision and a set of plans which have been costed, which are supported by the community, by the retailers and so on, they more likely you are to attract money from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and indeed from national Government.
“What we’re doing is putting ourselves in the best possible place to get money for the future,” she said.
Coun Scullion said the Vision talked about “six big moves” which built on a previous vision from 2014, which has seen, for example, the rescuing of the Piece Hall which had become an economic driver.
These “moves” included economic growth, helping people get jobs and homes, and to start businesses, and connectivity – people being able to get to jobs in Leeds, Bradford and Manchester.
Transforming Halifax by re-thinking its shopping centre, including using empty shops for other purposes to breath more life back into the town, and “greening” Halifax, for example developing Hebble Brook Trail, were others.
Strengthening solid voluntary and community sector links, helping people feel it is a place they want to live, is another goal.
“I think we’ve got a good story to tell, but we need to spread that prosperity from the Piece Hall effect around Halifax in a proper way,” she said.
Coun Adam Wilkinson (Lab, Sowerby Bridge), Cabinet member for Children and Young People’s Services, said Halifax had become a town to be proud of with council investment in the Piece Hall, Halifax Borough Market and Westgate Arcade, all “bustling” along with Woolshops.
There were challenges to meet: “Of course, we’ve got to get the leisure centre going, we’ve had roadworks a lot which people are not happy about, but hopefully that will be worthwhile once it is all completed.
“And of course we must do something about the vacant units in other parts of town – that’s why this strategy is so important, to show that we’ve got a plan, we’ve got ambition and so that we can bring in investment when those opportunities come,” he said.
Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot), Cabinet member for Climate Action and Housing, said Halifax had a solid base to work from.
“We do know the Piece Hall effect has had a massive gross value added investment in the place and we hope that investment expands out to the rest of Halifax and the borough,” he said.