Ambitious £9m homes, retail and hotel plan go-ahead for Calderdale town

Calderdale Council Cabinet approved outline plans for the ambitious £9.2 million transformation of the disused Rose Street site in Todmorden town centre which it is hoped will benefit from Government Towns Fund cash.

Councillors stressed images provided with the initial documents are only preliminary designs and more realised proposals will come back before Cabinet, hopefully by October.

Cabinet member for Public Services and Communities, Todmorden ward Coun Susan Press (Lab) explained the site was originally terraced housing, had been home to the town’s medical centre from the 1980s until a decade or so ago and had since been left derelict except for a garden area looked after by Incredible Edible volunteers.

“After a long time and various schemes we are finally at the stage where this report is coming to Cabinet and I hope it will go forward,” she said.

Coun Press said the proposals had been much commented about on social media and she wanted to stress these were outline ideas only.

It was hoped discussions would take place with Calder Valley Community Land Trust about building social housing – the land trust has developed homes in the upper Calder Valley, most recently bungalows for older people at Walsden.

Welcoming the scheme, she said: “It is urgently needed, it is a part of Todmorden that urgently needs regeneration, bringing housing back – not just affordable housing but hopefully housing for rent, building a green space and possibly an apart-hotel.

“It’s very early days.”

Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot), who is Cabinet member for Climate Change and Environment, said the design would ultimately feature urban drainage schemes and the site would be developed holistically, mindful of flooding risks.

Coun Press said when asked previously people clearly wanted more housing – and affordable housing – and some green space, with a design to bring in the market as a focal point.

Looking ahead, she said: “The final draft will go out to consultation.

“I am confident we can go forward with something people will like,” she said.

The overall cost of a finished scheme is likely to be around £9.2 million, with the council needing to find around £300,000, likely from the Towns Fund, to progress the scheme to outline business case stage.