Residential care flats planned at town’s former ‘party zone’
PLANS CENTRED AROUND BEASTMARKET, INCLUDING FORMER JOHNNY’S CLUB
THE end of drinking and partying at a famous Huddersfield town centre site is nigh.
A large portion of the landmark “island” of properties at Beastmarket and Kirkgate - including the site of the once famous Johnny’s nightclub - is being eyed up for new residential care facilities.
The plans include a number of the properties on the complex - which are thought to all be owned by the same firm - including a large section of the rear of Huddersfield Hotel at Kirkgate.
The adjacent Boy and Barrel Inn is also being earmarked for part of the plan, which seeks to convert the premises into seven residential care rooms.
The other two premises on Beastmarket, The Black Dog Bar and the former Yankee Lounge, which became Xanadu Nite Klub, are included in the drawings but are not specifically mentioned in the proposal.
No one from the Huddersfield
Hotel responded to a request to comment and the agent of the developer declined to give more details to the Examiner.
Joe Marsden, who set up Johnny’s in 1969 with his older brother, said he was not sentimental about the potential loss of the site to the Huddersfield nightlife scene.
He said: “I won’t be sad about losing Johnny’s, which has been part of my life for over 50 years.
“We sold it in 2003 and had looked at selling three years earlier, so I’ve had 20 years to think about it.
“I am into town centre regeneration so I’d be happy to see a care facility as we are short of them.”
Documents submitted to Kirklees Council show parts of the ground floors
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NP23 4QT NR23 1AD OL6 9PP PO21 3TX S70 6BA
ST4 3QN WA10 4QZ WA10 3NU WN7 4HL YO18 7SG of a number of premises being converted for residential use for people in need of care.
A communal kitchen and dining area would be created.
They say the upper floors of the former nightclub will be converted during phase two of the project.
And they claim the developer is “keen to progress with building works as soon as practical” when lockdown is eased.
London-based Valicity is named as the care firm behind the move.
The application says: “This Huddersfield hotel complex site offers the opportunity to meet the growth in special care demand for Kirklees district that are lacking.
“Valicity will bring investment to the North and delivering a speciality care [sic] would certainly benefit the sustainable use of the buildings.”