Council: Threeways Centre in Halifax to be demolished

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet has decided to pull down the Threeways Centre in Ovenden after safety concerns.

Parts of the building have been shut since June because of structural issues.

The decision was made earlier this week, with a pledge to bring the site back into use in the future as part of wider plans for the area.

Councillors had heard that, despite significant investment and efforts made to maintain safety on the site, the condition of the buildings and their safety had continued to deteriorate.

Businessman Paul Holdsworth, of The Hub cafe has said his entire family savings had been invested in the business, and asked councillors why no one had told him when the council was compiling the report which led to parts closing.

“We now face real possibility of going bankrupt for my business because the building has been closed,” he said.

The move has been called in for further discussion by one of the council’s scrutiny board but the authority says the structural issues were a major issue.

The council’s Cabinet Member for Resources, Councillor Silvia Dacre (Lab, Todmorden) said: “We have a longstanding ambition for thriving towns and communities across Calderdale.

“As part of this priority, we have supported the centre at Threeways as a community facility providing important services to local people for a number of years.

“However, the building now unfortunately presents significant safety concerns.

“We are committed to ensuring a strong and vibrant future for the North Halifax community and are keen to find a sustainable use for the Threeways site that benefits the whole community in the years to come.”

The council controversially took the building back into its control from a community trust in March 2020 amid safety concerns which closed its sports centre.

Coun Dacre acknowledged mistakes had been made regarding the original transfer to community-trustee running of this site, and said more rigorous plans were now in place for dealing with large and complex transfers.

Cabinet’s decision means remaining current tenants at Threeways – except for The Orchard – being given notice to quit officers will work to source alternative locations for them.