Todmorden Town Hall, Centre Vale Park and Todmorden Learning Centre and Community Hub complete milestone submissions of Full Business Cases to Government

The projects include improvements to the much loved Todmorden Town Hall, investment into a range of sports, heritage, arts and leisure facilities at Centre Vale Park, and the redevelopment and refurbishment of the Todmorden Learning Centre and Community Hub.

If successful, the three projects will reflect an overall investment win for the town of over £4.5M, a major step forward in realising the Board’s vision for Todmorden as a beacon 21st century market town.

Pam Warhurst, Chair, Todmorden Town Deal Board, said: “The submission of full business cases for these three wonderful projects is great news, and a key milestone in our ambitions to deliver a Town Investment Plan that realises Todmorden’s immense potential as a revitalised and economically successful market town. Between them, they strive for excellence, offering huge benefits and long-term positive impact for residents, businesses and communities across learning and skills, arts and heritage, sports and health and wellbeing. I congratulate each of the Project Leads in getting to this crucial stage of the process.”

Calderdale Council is the Accountable Body for the community led Board and for the Todmorden Town Investment Programme as a whole. Coun Sarah Courtney, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Towns, Engagement and Public Health, said: “The submission of the first set of business cases for the Todmorden Town Deal is a really special moment for the future of the town, and is a testament to the hard work, dedication and inspiring proposals of all involved. Todmorden’s transformation offers much to be excited about and there will be opportunities to view and comment on the proposals over the coming months.”

The Todmorden Town Hall project, for which Calderdale Council is Project Lead, will build on recent improvements, including the refurbishment of the external railings and acoustic improvements in the stunning Main Hall, to unlock the immense potential of this popular 1875 built, Grade I listed building as a user friendly, accessible and attractive heritage space.

The investment in Todmorden Town Hall complements further projects in the Town Investment Plan to transform the town centre into an attractive, flexible space that offers improved facilities, spaces and services that people want to use and spend time in, boosting the local economy and bringing additional visitors to explore the local area.

Providing high quality, relevant and accessible opportunities for learning, skills and enterprise development is a key theme of the vision set out in Todmorden’s Town Investment Plan. The community-led Todmorden Learning Centre and Community Hub (TLCCH) project is a major investment contributing to this aim.

The TLCCH is the former Todmorden College, run since 2021 as a community based charitable organisation. Its ambition is to provide local people with training and skills for jobs in the green economy, such as agroecology, food production and processing, natural building and renewable energy systems operations.

Julie Thorpe, Centre Manager, Todmorden Learning Centre and Community Hub, said: “We are pleased that our Business Case has now been submitted to government. It has been a long but important process through which we have refined our plans and begun to explore in more detail how we will deliver them. We plan to spend much of our funding to improve the energy efficiency of the building so that it is more sustainable to run and we can continue to keep costs to users low even with the current rises in fuel prices. We are also planning some improvements to the facilities including refurbishment of the cookery space and workshops. The prospect of being able to start the real work in a few months’ time is very exciting!”

The Centre Vale Park project combines a fantastic mix of developments to existing facilities, with the aim of enabling more people, including disabled people, to participate in sports and leisure activities. Three existing tennis courts will be refurbished, with a brand new court installed, offering the potential to develop a Centre of Excellence involving players of all ages. The historic Bowling Pavilion will be restored and expanded and a Multi-Use Games Area will provide a brand new facility for five-a-side football and basketball.

The project also aims to restore the park’s neglected heritage and public sites, including the Edwardian Grade II Listed Bandstand, with the aim of bringing it back to use for local music and arts outdoor performance. The Conservatory in the Garden of Remembrance will also be refurbished. In addition, Fielden Hall, currently offering function and meeting spaces, will benefit from energy efficiency measures, designed to reduce emissions and energy usage to support its future use and sustainability, and to provide some new affordable accommodation.

Cllr Denis Skelton, co-leader of Todmorden Town Council and Chair of Resources Committee said: “Whilst we still have challenges to overcome to deliver all of the proposed projects, working with each of the Centre Vale Park Project groups on the Business Case has reinforced just how this investment will help them all take forward their own ambitions and deliver for Centre Vale Park not only new facilities, but also improve what is already on offer.”

Pam Warhurst, Chair, Todmorden Town Deal Board, added: “The Board has now approved the remaining five projects, and anticipate these will be submitted to Government in early September to join the three already under consideration. There is no set date for us to hear outcomes and get feedback, but we are hopeful this will be by the end of the year. In the meantime, we are looking to plan some local activities to share more details about the plans and proposals during the Autumn.”

Popular Calderdale bonfire to return with 'bumper' event

Walkathon for Motor Neurone Disease research supported by rugby league legend Kevin Sinfield to visit Sowerby Bridge