Issue details

The development of Dewsbury Riverside is a key priority in delivering housing growth in Kirklees, being the largest housing allocation in the Kirklees Local Plan (Site reference HS61) and contributing to alleviating the significant housing needs across the district. Dewsbury Riverside will create a new community, extend the existing community, and provide the benefit of new homes and community facilities for all.

The Council owns approximately 30 hectares of the 160 hectare site. The Housing Growth Team are working alongside Homes England, West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) and Network Rail, to progress funding and delivery partner options. Finalisation of Collaboration Agreement terms with the Savile Estate, negotiations with relevant landowners, the Homes England bid and securing a master developer are the key next steps to progress Dewsbury Riverside.

This report updates Cabinet on the collaboration agreement and decisions required for finalising the agreement.

To inform development of the Dewsbury Riverside site ’Listening To’ events took place in 2021 in the adjacent communities in Thornhill Lees and Ravensthorpe, to feed into the Council’s planning process. A summary of this work can be found on Listening to Thornhill Lees results – How good is our place? and Listening to Ravensthorpe results – How good is our place?

Work has continued with the Council’s Communities Teams and Homes England to apply the principles of the Kirklees Inclusive Communities Framework throughout the lifetime of the development of the new community at Dewsbury Riverside.

In July 2024, community engagement consultants AR Urbanism were appointed by Homes England to develop a series of place-based indicators for Dewsbury Riverside. These indicators outline and inform specific and local opportunities for social value that reflect the local needs of each place. Notably, there was significant crossover between the issues outlined in the ‘Listening To..’ work and the issues discussed by residents in the AR Urbanism consultation work, particularly surrounding local transport infrastructure.