Exciting new images show latest progress at Huddersfield's new food hall and library
The multi-million-pound Cultural Heart scheme got underway last year
Exciting new images show how Huddersfield’s ‘Our Cultural Heart’ is shaping up, with the town’s new food hall and library one step closer.
In September 2024, work on the first phase of the multi-million-pound Cultural Heart scheme got underway as part of the wider Huddersfield Blueprint. Phase one covers the food hall and library, which are due to open to the public next summer in the revamped former Queensgate Market building, along with a public square outside.
Last month, demolition was completed on this part of the site, with the distinctive paraboloid roof structures of the former market fully revealed and new glazing being installed to connect the iconic forms. In the coming months, structural steelwork and the construction of the main elevations will begin to take shape – revealing the scale and footprint of the library hub and food hall.
The council is also in the process of selecting a food hall operator, with an announcement anticipated later this year.
Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance & Regeneration, said previously: “There’s a tremendous amount going on in Huddersfield at the moment, and this has been our Huddersfield Blueprint’s most productive and successful years to date.
“The construction work to create Our Cultural Heart, which is set to put Huddersfield and wider Kirklees on the map as a destination for art, music and culture, is currently moving forward at pace, with the first phase of work creating a more modern library, a vibrant food hall and a brand new public square which will create lots more opportunities for events in the town centre.
“We’ll see these parts of Our Cultural Heart to open in summer next year, which will mean people can start enjoying the new spaces before the project as a whole – our most ambitious investment across the whole of Kirklees – is fully completed. We’re also progressing with plans for the next phase, which will see Our Cultural Heart’s flagship museum, art gallery and café take shape in the beautiful former library building.”
As for the later phases of the scheme, some uncertainties remain, with a use for the Queen Street plot as part of ‘phase 3’ yet to be determined. Phase 4 was set to be an urban park while the final phase, phase 5, covered a music venue and multi-storey car park, though this part of the plan is under review.