£210m Cultural Heart plan ‘commonplace and risky’

A £210m plan to develop the cultural heart of Huddersfield risks "destroying all of the good work done by local arts organisations".

Think tank Same Skies warns a proposed music hall of up to 2,500 seats is "commonplace and risky" given the strong competition from nearby Leeds, Manchester and Wakefield, and recommends nurturing networks of small spaces rather than one "bigbox" venue.

The Piazza arts centre, a collection of 1970s shops turned into temporary exhibition spaces, is slated for demolition this autumn as Kirklees Council pursues the concert venue, a new art gallery and a visitor attraction similar to the Eureka children's museum in Halifax.

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It says the Piazza initiative, which offered free rents in exchange for public arts programmes, is a temporary intervention only.

"It has never been about providing permanent space to artists and other creative practitioners," according to a statement from Councillor Peter McBride, Cabinet Member for Growth and Regeneration.

"However, due to its success in making artists more visible within our town centre, the council will continue to look to facilitate temporary opportunities for artists to take over empty retail spaces in Huddersfield town centre and other towns across Kirklees."

But Kath Wright, Co-Founder of CollaborARTI, one of the Piazza organisations, said its volunteers want a one year rolling contract to occupy the space.

"[It would] give them more certainty on which to plan, and so that they don't commit unpaid time and energy to something that is brought to a sudden halt."

Same Skies says the initiative should be used as a low cost model of regeneration for other left-behind town centres.

Audience numbers tripled, and the space acted as an "incubator" for new arts and community organisations include a climate emergency hub that hosted 28 events within six days.

Co-Director Andrew Wilson encouraged Kirklees Council to recognise its own success.

"By adapting its strategy and investing in the Piazza arts centre rather than demolishing it, the lessons learned could benefit every high street and town centre in England."

Countering invisibility

Unremarkable architecture is "ideal" for arts and community activities, Same Skies says.

It argues many towns can't afford star architects to design new civic buildings but most have a half-empty retail precinct that can be repurposed.

Wilson acknowledges The Piazza "doesn't look look like much at first glance".

"But the units are great arts spaces. They are empty white cubes, which makes them perfect for mixed use by different art forms."

Their glass fronts means everything happens in public; installation doubles as marketing, for example. 

By comparison, the planned concert hall, which would be fourth pubicly-owned performance venue in central Huddersfield, is likely to be "dead space for most of the week", Same Skies says.

It's argued that demolishing The Piazza will increase visibility for the University of Huddersfield, currently obscured by the public square.

"Providing a line of sight will be a far less effective solution to the lack of connection than granular, interpersonal relationships through organisations," the think tank counters.

Business plan lacking

Conservative councillors in Labour-run Kirklees want the Cultural Heart plan delayed until a business case is provided.

It accounts for most of the spending on a wider £250m Huddersfield development blueprint.

Same Skies is proposing a middle ground between the current temporary arrangement and permanently turning the shops over to arts groups: wait three years and see what develops.

The council could transfer the vacant shops with a "revert back in perpetuity" clause so it can reclaim ownership if the arts organisations fold.

Wilson said The Piazza arts centre has had a positive effect on pride of place.

"Local artists working together have taken five empty shops which previously made the town look run down and depressing, and turned them into colourful creative spaces.

"If we had to put a price on that, what would it be?"