Plans for 122 homes on site of former Halifax Cow Green multi-storey car park are submitted to Calderdale Council

Build-to-rent providers Placefirst is looking to build a total of 122 dwellings – a mix of one and two bedroom apartments – on the site of the former multi-storey car park at Cow Green.

This month Calderdale Council’s Cabinet agreed to release the land for homes, and later this week the full council will decide whether money received for the site should be ring-fenced for provision of affordable housing within Calderdale, also securing Brownfield Housing Fund grant from West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA).

Placefirst say that if approved the £16m scheme will deliver a mix of one and two-bedroom apartments with bike storage and electric car charging points.

Designed as a nine-storey building by JM Architects, the development takes inspiration from the town’s rich heritage and will integrate with the council’s wider Cow Green highway improvements through attractive landscape features and public realm, says the developer.

Placefirst is working with West Yorkshire Combined Authority on the delivery of the scheme and say pre-application advice has been sought from Calderdale Council, with a public consultation having taken place through October.

The developer says the plans for Cow Green represent its most sustainable project to date with a “fabric first” approach being taken to maximise the thermal performance of the building in addition to renewable and efficient technologies including photovoltaic panels, air source heat pumps, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and wastewater heat recovery.

As well as improving the building’s energy performance certificate rating it should also allow lower bills for residents, says Placefirst.

If approved, work is expected to start in mid-2023 and would be completed by 2025.

James Litherland, planning and development manager at Placefirst said they were excited to put the plans in.

“We have worked closely with the Combined Authority and Calderdale Council to ensure the scheme delivers the shared objectives of all partners and sets the standard for high quality build-to-rent in Halifax.

“We hope that the proposals are well received and look forward to starting work next summer to create new homes for residents,” he said.

The landmark Halifax multi-storey car park was demolished in February 2016.