COUNCIL Cabinet members will be asked to green light an approvals process to speed up decision-making for more than £36 million of funding to be spent in two Calderdale towns.

Earlier this year Calderdale Council heard bids for cash from the Government’s Town Deal fund had been successful for Brighouse and Todmorden, and when they meet on Monday Cabinet members are asked to agree that, in order to meet some challenging deadlines set by the fund, approval of business cases for schemes can be delegated to certain officers and senior councillors.

These are the Director of Regeneration and Strategy, Shelagh O’Neill, in consultation with the Cabinet member for Regeneration and Strategy, which is currently Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot), and Head of Finance, currently Nigel  Broadbent, although Mr Broadbent is retiring.

The other option members have, although this is not flagged as the preferred option by officers, is for Cabinet to make these approvals, but members have been warned that could lead to delays and there are likely to be times when the council needs to respond quickly.

Approval for £7m worth of projects is 'important milestone' in regeneration of Keighley and Shipley

In Brighouse, the £19.1 million award is broken down into projects as follows.

There is £7.812 million set aside to reconnect the Brighouse canalside to the town centre, improving leisure opportunities and transforming Thornton Square into a community and event space, £618,000 to improve key entry points to the town centre including for pedestrians, encouraging active travel, and some greening.

A total of £8.34 million is planned to be used for enhancing the town’s retail and leisure offer including some pedestrianisation, urban greening and designing high quality distinctive and separated spaces for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians, encouraging people to stay longer in the town and support a 24-hour economy in Brighouse, councillors are told.

A sum of £1.83 million has been set aside to revitalise Brighouse Market, most probably through creating a new market in the town centre and redeveloping the existing Ship Street site into commercial units, with an eye on start-up businesses, and homes.

Building on Brighouse’s highly developed manufacturing base, £500,000 has been set aside to develop skills in state-of-the-art manufacturing and engineering, and apprenticeships.

In Todmorden, the £17.5 million award is broken down into the following projects.

A sum of £3.525 will see Bramsche Square developed as a meeting place and key link between Todmorden Market, Central Methodist Church and Todmorden Town Hall – car parking spaces will be reduced but a new public square created.

The outdoor market stalls will be replaced with modern retractable stalls, opening it up to more and different uses as well as its traditional role, say the briefing papers.

A total of £1.208 million is being invested into the Grade I listed Town Hall, supporting learning and building on the success of its heritage resource centre and volunteer guided tours, making it more accessible to the public including for events, concerts, exhibitions, meetings and celebrations.

A “comprehensive” project to restore and intensify use of Centre Vale Park and the neighbouring Fielden Centre has been set aside including work on the bandstand, pavilion, tennis courts and the greenery, the aim being to realise its potential for greater economic and social benefit as a centre for sport, recreation, outdoor events and celebrations, councillors are told.

Calder Valley Land Trust will turn the adjoining Grade II listed Fielden Centre – Fielden Hall – into “an exemplar for heritage buildings with modern eco performance standards”, along with accommodation available for affordable rent.

A sum of £820,000 has been set aside to redesign and refurbish the Edwardian era Hippodrome Theatre on Halifax Road, creating a multi-purpose and fully accessible space to complement the existing theatre and used to teach, rehearse, produce and perform.

A new high quality three-storey enterprise centre to bring business into the community will be developed with £3.175 million, with the aim of the building being an ideal location for start-up businesses and incorporating space to link up with the Active Todmorden project which will connect up and improve routes around the town centre, including for walking and cycling, and has £3.244 million of the money earmarked for this.

It also aims to increase use of Todmorden’s natural features by residents and tourists alike A sum of £1.736 million will be used to help Todmorden Learning Centre and Community Hub – the former Todmorden Community College building on Burnley Road – become a centre for education and skills development, with a focus on climate change education, agro-ecology, sustainable living and natural building, councillors are told, and eco-improvements will be made to the building.

Around £730,000 has been set aside to develop a Riverside Outdoor Activity sports park at Bellholme, Walsden, providing a sustainable all-year round alternative to Todmorden Sports Centre with investment used to refurbish the pavilion and upgrade sports facilities.

Other Todmorden projects include £698,000 set aside for Murmuration Workshops offering hands-on vocational training in the arts and offering affordable space and high-end equipment and tools to grow creative businesses, also attracting more tourism, and £351,000 for a Cycle Centre.

In the case of both Todmorden and Brighouse, management costs take up remaining elements of the awards, with each potential schemes having to be green-lighted by the Government through the bidding and award process.