Extensive repairs at Grade I-listed Oakwell Hall and new artwork to brighten up Dewsbury town centre approved by Kirklees Council
From extensive repairs to a Grade I-listed museum, to dozens of new homes, important plans have been determined by Kirklees Council in the past month.
Several applications were decided which were made by the council itself, including plans to carry out work at Oakwell Hall in Birstall and to revamp several buildings in Dewsbury town centre.
The Grade I-listed Elizabethan manor house at Oakwell Hall will be undergoing extensive repairs to “restore damaged and age-related issues” to ensure it can remain open to the visiting public in the future.
Repairs will focus on the roof, which will be removed to allow a bat-friendly membrane to be installed to prevent water damage. Slates will then be re-laid and gutters and downpipes replaced.
Work will also be carried out to external stone, existing lead glazing and defective areas of the underground drainage system.
On top of this, a new, accessible toilet will be installed at ground floor level to the rear of the property, and the existing male and female toilets on the first floor will be taken out.
The council can install artwork at 63 Daisy Hill and 29 Market Place in Dewsbury now that two applications for listed building consent have been given the green light. Plans include displaying mounted artwork panels in boarded up windows, repairing shopfronts and repainting.
The project comes as part of the “Revive and Thrive” initiative, which is funded by the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It aims to revitalise town centres, making them more attractive and vibrant for residents, visitors and businesses.
Work to go on show at each location has been designed by Emmeline North. The frontage of the Market Place property will be replaced and painted in “heritage colours” – shades of blue and pink.
The former Castle Hall care home, on Lee Road in Ravensthorpe, can be turned into self-contained residential flats across the ground and first floor levels. While the application was initially for 11 homes, the decision allows for just 10 properties to be constructed.
Application documents say that the layouts have been designed to provide “practical, modern living accommodation”. The units will be a range of sizes.