New neighbourhoods to be built in Wakefield to encourage city centre living

Plans are in place to build homes at the former Chantry House council office block on Kirkgate, which was demolished last in year, and turn the Civic Quarter, including the former crown court and Wood Street police station, into its own neighbourhood.

Council leader Denise Jeffery, said: “We need to attract people to live and work in the city centre, this will support more footfall into shops, restaurants and cafes.

“We want work with businesses to create a vibrant culture – where people can meet up and enjoy local facilities.”

Wakefield Civic Society also believes that a city centre with less through traffic, better signposting and a more coherent layout would be more attractive for people to live.

The council has applied for funding though the Towns Fund – to help it to revive Kirkgate, Bread Street, Little Westgate and the old Westgate Station.

It has also applied for funding from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund, to repurpose the old BHS building and transform it into a public services hub where residents can access the support they need right there on the high street.

A total of £4m, with help from Historic England, is being used to renovate Upper Westgate’s historic buildings, and adjacent yards and ginnels.

As part of its city vision document Wakefield Civic Society asked residents about the kind of changes they would like to see.

One respondent quoted suggested how the city could differentiate itself from neighbouring areas.

They said: “Wakefield suffers from geography – we’re too close to everywhere else, so it’s too easy to go to Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford etc, which means that Wakefield has to offer something distinctive and unique that people want – whether that be artisan shops, cultural outlets or whatever.”