Issue - meetings

The Panel will receive a presentation on Local Centres, Marsden.

Contact: Simon Taylor, Head of Town Centres Programme, and David Wildman, Strategic Partnership Lead, Tel: 01484 221000

Cllr Graham Turner, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Regeneration, introduced the item, informing the Panel that the update will outline why Marsden is being worked on. The unlocking of some money from DLUHC (Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities) levelling up fund, has given an opportunity to build on that work because Marsden has huge potential growth in economic terms.

David Wildman, Strategic Partnership Lead, took the Panel through a presentation explaining that the economic potential of Marsden is not being realised at the moment.  He advised that it is a great successful village, however it has got a constrained commercial offer. There is a lot of out commuting, there are issues caused by local traffic and parking, and there are a great deal of unused properties and mills in the village that is impacting on the quality of place.

Funding has been secured through DLUHC for the regeneration and redevelopment of New Mills which is in the centre of the village, that came through the levelling up fund round two (LUF2). Alongside that, there is also the investment that is happening in the TransPennine Route (TRU)  upgrade project to Marsden.  Those two investment together, with an active community that has been realised through the recent place standard engagement, present an opportunity to do something positive in Marsden.

The Panel was informed that the masterplan will provide a structured approach,  a framework to unlock the development and bring forward future opportunities for growth.  In June 2023, a report was taken to Cabinet that delegated authority to  progress with a masterplan. A further report will be going back to Cabinet in March 2024, to seek endorsement for a partnership led approach.

The masterplan will set out a longer term vision for Marsden and identify priority projects, this is both from a commercial, and a transport master planning point of view that will help the council and partners pursue future funding opportunities.   It will build on local engagement and there has already been positive engagement to date, and that is where the proposed Community Partnership comes in to help embed a community and place led approach that can shape the masterplan.

The Council remains the accountable body in developing the masterplan, and the partnership will help to shape the vision, provide local insight, oversee community engagement and support the Council as an advisory body.

The Panel was shown an overview of Marsden, which highlighted key locations in the village, including local sports facilities, the train station, canal and New Mills.

With regard to the community led approach, the Panel was informed that the aim is to form a partnership made up of ten local invited representatives, with no more than nine or ten members including one representative from each of the following: - Marsden Community Trust, Marsden Community Association, Kirklees Council, Ward Councillor, local businesses, local landowner and/or developer, youth based/sports group, community group/organisation and local schools.  Following attendance at this scrutiny meeting and the Cabinet meeting in March, work will  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7