Dewsbury town centre prepares to welcome shoppers back

Kirklees council is making changes to the main shopping streets in the town centre to provide extra space for social distancing and to support people to travel safely on foot or by bike.

The changes which draw on funding from the Government’s Active Travel Fund have been made quickly, in response to the national guidance that town centre shops can re-open from 15 June.

Coun Peter McBride, Cabinet Member for Regeneration said: “The way we shop and socialise has changed in response to the pandemic, but this isn’t a bad thing, it’s an opportunity to try new things and attract different customers.

"We’ve seen businesses come up with innovative ways to stay open during the lockdown and I am sure we will see more of this as others begin to re-open.

"This is just the start of the recovery journey we will continue to work with the business community and support the regeneration of the town centres in line with our ambitions as set out in the two blueprints.

"We are committed to working in a place based way and that is why the approach we are taking may differ across Kirklees, with safety coming first in whatever we do. I would urge businesses that are considering re-opening to check out the latest advice on our website and get in contact if they need any additional support.”

The council has also begun marking up areas of the town to help with social distancing.

Officers are also working with businesses to make sure they understand the relevant legislation around re-opening.

In another bid to boost the recovery process, the council announced earlier this week that parking would be free in all its car parks and spaces.

It is hoped that this will attract more people into the town.

They also hope to encourage those who may previously have driven in and parked up outside and visited one business, to park a little further away and walk in, maybe stop at some other businesses on the way.

Over the coming weeks the council will also be announcing further investment in cultural projects to make our town centres even more exciting places to visit and spend time.

The council is also working up plans to support the other town centres in Kirklees, officers have already been in contact with businesses who have requested advice on how to open safely and would encourage others to get in touch if they have any concerns.

The council will be monitoring the situation as shoppers return to each town centre in order to provide the right level of support to make sure everyone is kept safe.