Co-op set for student flats future

The council owned building on New Street requires extensive renovation with all the windows and roof needing replacement.

Commenting on designs not yet made public, the council’s conservation team has raised some concern about a large glazed box that will jut out beyond the front of the building.

It said the views of the clock tower and dome from Chapel Hill need to be considered and must not be dominated by large extensions.

The officer comments: “I am not against the extension ... but I remain to be convinced the additional increase in height of three storeys is necessary without a cost analysis.”

The officer says Historic England must be consulted.

Planning officials say: “The proposed extensions would significantly alter the appearance of the existing building as well as impacting on the Conservation Area and potentially affecting the original Co-operative building adjacent.”

The document indicates that officials would likely consider the need to regenerate the building overrides heritage concerns.

The Co-operative building was built in 1893 and then extended in 1936, leaving an unusual mix of Victorian and modernist architecture.

Council documents reveal the concrete frame of extension – the section closer to the ring road – is suffering from deterioration.

Kirklees Council’s Strategic Planning Committee will next week have the chance to discuss the proposal before a planning application is submitted.