The developers behind plans to build an exhibition centre and a café, restaurant and bar at the top of Castle Hill have revealed a video showing just what it will look like.

But they also admit they may need to put the planning application in again as a vital decision on the proposal by Historic England may not be made before the three years planning consent by Kirklees Council runs out next February.

The fly-through video made by Armitage Bridge architects One17 Design shows the entrance and glides through the visitor centre before going upstairs to the bar and café which will have seats inside and out. The video can be viewed on our YouTube channel HERE.

The planning application also includes six en-suite bedrooms but these are not shown on the fly-through. There are also plans for a gift shop selling local crafts.

The developers are the Thandi Partnership, run by Huddersfield brothers Mick and Barry Thandi, and they have revealed how they want the site’s development to be managed with a clear collaboration between them, Kirklees Council, Historic England and the local community.

They have told Huddersfield Hub: “We propose the establishment of a Steering Committee in partnership with the Thandi Partnership, Kirklees Council and Historic England, tasked with overseeing the development and operation of the visitor centre, ensuring full compliance with Local Planning Authority conditions.

“This committee will provide responsible governance across all phases of the project, ensuring alignment with regulatory standards. Additionally, we invite a representative from the Almondbury Ward to join the committee, guaranteeing that local interests are actively considered and incorporated.”

 

 

With time running out, some groups objecting to the plan had believed The Thandi Partnership had not applied for Scheduled Monument Consent which Historic England manages on behalf of the government.

Huddersfield Hub revealed last week that the application for Scheduled Monument Consent has recently been submitted but it’s now become unclear if a decision will be made by February 10 next year when the original planning permission by Kirklees in February 2022 runs out. Read that story HERE.

The Partnership states: “We must now await Scheduled Monument Consent, administered by Historic England, with whom we’ve consulted throughout. This may take us beyond the statutory start period required by planning approval, meaning a new application may need to be lodged.

“But a scheme of this significance for Kirklees could not be rushed. We hope we have demonstrated that the wait has been worth it.”

In its earlier comments Historic England said more work needed doing on the application’s heritage statement regarding the “archaeological significance and potential of the application site.”

The Partnership adds: “When planning approval for this milestone project was granted by Kirklees Council in February 2022 it marked the start of the next stage to refine the details of the scheme and ensure that the stipulations of all key stakeholders were met.

“What you see in the video is the result of long discussion, consultation and negotiation to arrive at the scheme as shown. Inevitably much of the work has been ‘under the radar’ but the results can now be proudly displayed to all.”

The interpretation and education areas at the visitor centre will be free entry, including for schools, with an immersive experience room, interactive room and gallery providing education and entertainment using advanced technology.

When the scheme is complete Victoria Tower will be open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm from April to October, far more than it is now.

 

How the Castle Hill development will look next to Victoria Tower. Image: One17 Architects and Interior Designers.

 

When the planning permission was given the go-ahead in 2022, Kirklees Council imposed 30 conditions.

These included that weddings or other events are banned without written permission from the council and people must book online first before going for a drink or meal at the venue, they can’t just walk in.

At weekends no more than 70 people will be allowed at the venue at any one time and coaches are banned from Castle Hill on Saturdays and Sundays. The venue must close by 11pm.

The council also insists that the toilets and interpretation room must open before the rest of the venue can begin to operate.

The history of Castle Hill stretches back 4,000 years. It began as an Iron Age hill fort before becoming a Norman castle and then a medieval hunting lodge. Victoria Tower – built to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee of 1897 and finished in 1899 – is in green belt and can be seen for miles.

It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) in recognition of the range and variety of its flora and fauna.

 

 

A pub/hotel on Castle Hill was acquired by the Thandi brothers in the 1990s with plans to refurbish the building and remove later additions which had disfigured the building. Planning approval was given in 2002 but during the course of demolition works the tower became unstable.

Permission was granted to replace the original building but as construction progressed it became clear that the new building was larger than that for which permission had been granted. Work on the site was stopped.

Subsequently, an order was served for the demolition of the building. Since then, the Thandis have submitted several new plans but these were all rejected until the present application was approved.

The Thandi Partnership are leaseholders on the site as Castle Hill remains part of the Ramsden Estate which was bought by Huddersfield Corporation in 1920.

Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content, copywriting and ghost-writing autobiographies.

 

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