'This is our living heritage' - Halifax town centre landmarks see major transformations as work ends on one and gets going on another
Halifax has seen major investment with millions of pounds spent on improving over the past decade.
Every corner of the town centre is being transformed, from bringing Halifax's heritage back to its historic market to a new road network to make travel smoother.
Three Halifax town centre landmarks have seen, or will see, massive transformations.
Improvements have taken place at the Grade II listed Victoria Theatre, which this year is celebrating its 125th anniversary.
There is a new box office, which has been relocated to Commercial Street, as well as a brand-new café bar to to enhance the experience of visitors.
There’s also a new lift in the new box office to take visitors with accessibility requirements up to the Circle Level Bar and a platform lift to take visitors from the theatre foyer to the stalls level of the auditorium.
Alongside the changes that have been made front of house, funded by the UK Government’s Future High Streets Fund, a lot of improvements can also be seen behind the scenes.
Alex Swithenbank, Capital Regeneration Programme Lead, said: “We’re coming towards the very end now.
“As well as the work that you can see it’s made it better for the staff that work there.
"There’s a new lift for accessibility purposes but then a lot of work has been done behind the scenes to facilitate letting the people who work here do their job.”
Coun Sarah Courtney, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, added: “The increased accessibility will make it easier for sets and equipment to be moved around inside whereas before there were stairs and things that had to be hauled around so it’ll be really good for the staff and visiting productions.”
Halifax Borough Market has also seen a transformation with money from the UK Government’s Future High Streets Fund.
The iconic Victorian market has undergone a number of changes to create a warmer and more welcoming place for people to shop, eat, drink and spend time.
Discussing the improvements at the market Coun Courtney said: “There’s been lots of changes in the market.
"There’s been a general refurbishment including putting in new window, new glass pane which are self cleaning to make it much more bright so that we don’t need lighting during the day.
“They’re also going to be changing the heating system and also the lights so that when they are on they’re low energy so they’ll be cheaper to run.
“We’ve uncovered this amazing clock which was hidden behind a stall before and created this lovely area where people can sit and have their lunch, hang out, meet people.
“The Albany Arcade has been created as a standalone space so that it can be separated from the rest of the market and used as an evening events space. There have been gigs there, food markets, there’s different events there during the day and in the evening and there’s been a goth market.
“All of these different things attract people in that might not have been in before so as well as doing things for people who come in here every day and making it nice for people that work in the market or visit the market on a daily basis it’s started bringing in people to look at the market people in to the events which then brings in people to the town generally.
“This is our living heritage.”
The progress on these two major projects show that all the hard work pays off as work on the brand-new North Bridge Leisure Centre really gets going.
The demolition has taken place with the majority of the old centre gone and just the sports hall remaining.
Now ground investigation work will take place before construction on the new building can begin.
The new leisure centre, which is a Calderdale Council project, will include a 120 station fitness suite, a refurbished eight court sports hall, a 25 metre, six-lane swimming pool with spectator seating and much more.
Calderdale Council, developed with the help of hundreds of local people, has set out its ambitions for Calderdale’s future with Vision 34.
In support of the Vision 34 for Calderdale there is Halifax 2036 Place Vision which focuses on making creativity, enterprise and opportunity a significant part of everyday life in the town of Halifax.
Through the Place Vision, the joint objectives are for Halifax to be:
- An innovative, creative and enterprising town
- An accessible town
- A liveable town
- A healthy, happy and hopeful town
- A historic and cultural town
- A green and resilient town
To meet the objectives, Calderdale Council and other organisations, businesses and community groups will work in partnership to:
Grow our inclusive and creative economy – driving skills, enterprise and innovation.
Strengthen our social foundations – supporting community life through civic spaces and working with the voluntary and community sector.
Connect our people and places – improving the way we move through town.
Reimagine our town centre – creating new uses for vacant spaces to create a vibrant, mixed-use town centre.
Transform our gateway neighbourhoods – delivering new homes, green spaces and mixed-use developments to create sustainable, well-connected communities.
Unlock the Hebble Valley arc – reconnecting Halifax with nature through greenery, riverside living and climate resilience.