Kirklees gets £800k boost after selling key assets

Six plots of land and buildings were put up for auction, including Batley’s Dryfield House.
The character property and heritage asset went for the highest amount – £325,000. It already has planning permission for change of use to flats, plus outline consent for a developer to build seven houses in the grounds.

Dryfield House was the home of Michael Sheard, a textile manufacturer based at Hick Lane Mill, and later John Sheard, who was his son and a mayor of Batley.

The former Dewsbury Register office went for £104,500. It already has planning permission to turn into four flats. It had served as the register office for North Kirklees until the service moved to Dewsbury Town Hall in autumn 2012.

The former Slaithwaite Library sold for £132,000. Jagger Hill Farm in Kirkheaton sold for £230,000 and a plot of grazing land in Meltham went for £35,000.

A former council depot at Sherwood Avenue in Bradley was not sold.