Town centre shopping area has ‘little demand’ for empty units
A COUNCILLOR said there is “little commercial demand” for space in one of Huddersfield’s most prominent shopping areas.
Coun Peter McBride said it was difficult to attract new tenants into the Piazza.
But regeneration chiefs on Kirklees Council say the authority “is committed to helping business and maintaining vibrancy and footfall” around the shopping area.
The piazza is at the core of the council’s £250m Huddersfield Blueprint, a large-scale and ambitious plan to re-imagine the heart of the town centre.
Traders with shops and businesses on the piazza are negotiating with the council over where they will move when the site is bulldozed in readiness for redevelopment. In the meantime several units remain closed.
Coun Richard Eastwood (Lib
Dem, Lindley) queried the future use of the area.
In a written question tabled at November’s full council meeting, he asked: “What are the council’s plans for the Piazza’s empty units – leave empty to rot and decay until demolition or encourage shortterm leases?”
Coun McBride (Lab, Dalton), the council’s regeneration champion, said there was “little commercial demand” for space on the piazza.
He added: “Given the proposed redevelopment and the current state of the high street nationally, it is difficult to attract new commercial operators to occupy the empty units, although the opportunity is there and parties can express their interest to our letting agents or the Centre Management Team for consideration by the council.”
However, the council has sought to populate the area, on a short-term basis, by signing agreements with a range of organisations including Huddersfield New College, Yorkshire Print Workshop and Dark Horse Theatre.
And despite unveiling the blueprint, it continued with an events programme for the piazza that included film screenings.