Future of Wakefield City Centre : Sat Nov 13, 2021 4:11 pm  

Along with proposals to develop BV, it seems that our illustrious council are also making plans to develop the City Centre too.
I've just received the below email :-

Wakefield Council would like residents and businesses of Wakefield to be involved in shaping the future of the city as a place to live, work and spend leisure time. The consultation is on the vision for our multi-million-pound Towns Fund projects to regenerate Wakefield City Centre. The current Towns Fund vision has been developed by Arcadis using public feedback from our Masterplan.

The proposals contained in this exhibition set out range of opportunities for Wakefield and we now need your input to help us develop these projects further. We hope you are able to come along to one of the events.



Thursday 18 November

11:00 – 19:00 Trinity Walk Shopping Centre

Friday 19 November

10:00 – 16:00 The Ridings

Monday 22 November

11:00 – 15:00 West Yorkshire History Centre

Thursday 25 November

11:00 – 14:00 Wakefield One

Friday 26 November

14:00 – 17:00 Wakefield One


Could be worth a visit just to see what they are proposing ??

Re: Future of Wakefield City Centre : Sat Nov 13, 2021 6:20 pm  

I think there are 3 options call me cynical if it's what I have seen and read it's option C!

Re: Future of Wakefield City Centre : Sat Nov 13, 2021 6:46 pm  

There were plans to move the museum and the library from Wakefield One to the old BHS premises, but then I think they had second thoughts and move just the museum leaving the library as is.
Before any of this reaches fruition I think the powers that be need to change the mindset of a large percentage of our citizens and remove that inherent apathy that is part of the Wakefield DNA, I'm afraid.

There's nothing that I'd rather see than the re-emergence of the proud, bustling city that Wakefield once was.
I suggest the council members just go and have a look at what they've done in Barnsley.

Re: Future of Wakefield City Centre : Sat Nov 13, 2021 6:56 pm  

Redscat wrote:

There were plans to move the museum and the library from Wakefield One to the old BHS premises, but then I think they had second thoughts and move just the museum leaving the library as is.
Before any of this reaches fruition I think the powers that be need to change the mindset of a large percentage of our citizens and remove that inherent apathy that is part of the Wakefield DNA, I'm afraid.

There's nothing that I'd rather see than the re-emergence of the proud, bustling city that Wakefield once was.
I suggest the council members just go and have a look at what they've done in Barnsley.

The last. I read regarding BHS was there was gonna be a bit of a museum and cafe and was gonna cost…..Drum roll…..£12,000,000.

Re: Future of Wakefield City Centre : Sat Nov 13, 2021 7:35 pm  

JINJER wrote:

The last. I read regarding BHS was there was gonna be a bit of a museum and cafe and was gonna cost…..Drum roll…..£12,000,000.

Quite possible,jinjer.
Last Tuesday's Yorkshire Post quoted that, *of the 20 million handed to Wakefield, half will go on the BHS refurb" Not leaving much for the rest of the city, especially if it includes all the satellite towns as well.

Re: Future of Wakefield City Centre : Sat Nov 13, 2021 7:48 pm  

FIL wrote:

Along with proposals to develop BV, it seems that our illustrious council are also making plans to develop the City Centre too.
I've just received the below email :-

Wakefield Council would like residents and businesses of Wakefield to be involved in shaping the future of the city as a place to live, work and spend leisure time. The consultation is on the vision for our multi-million-pound Towns Fund projects to regenerate Wakefield City Centre. The current Towns Fund vision has been developed by Arcadis using public feedback from our Masterplan.

The proposals contained in this exhibition set out range of opportunities for Wakefield and we now need your input to help us develop these projects further. We hope you are able to come along to one of the events.



Thursday 18 November

11:00 – 19:00 Trinity Walk Shopping Centre

Friday 19 November

10:00 – 16:00 The Ridings

Monday 22 November

11:00 – 15:00 West Yorkshire History Centre

Thursday 25 November

11:00 – 14:00 Wakefield One

Friday 26 November

14:00 – 17:00 Wakefield One


Could be worth a visit just to see what they are proposing ??

Why? It’s not like they listen to the public anyway.

Re: Future of Wakefield City Centre : Sat Nov 13, 2021 8:32 pm  

I remember when the only reason you went shopping in Leeds was to visit Lewis's. I was there last night, parked in the John Lewis multi-storey, walked round a few beautiful stores for an hour then went to a restaurant across The Headrow. It's another world and unbelievable how far removed from the Wakefield of today.
We are now competing with Castleford and Pontefract and still losing because those areas provide the votes that keep the MDC councillors on the MDC gravy train.

Re: Future of Wakefield City Centre : Sat Nov 13, 2021 8:55 pm  

I'm afraid it will take tens of millions of pounds to update Wakefield City centre from what it is now.
The only reason I go in now is to go to the bank occasionally - the city centre as I knew it as a lad has systematically been dismantled by our council over the last 40 years. They've ripped the heart out of it.
It frankly depresses me to go there now .
My own opinion is that Trinity walk was the straw that broke the camels back. They should have updated the centre then,not bolted that bit on.

Re: Future of Wakefield City Centre : Sat Nov 13, 2021 9:10 pm  

What about all those false hopes of converting the market into first a cinema, then a bowling alley; Wood St police station into a hotel,; the old crown court building into a leisure and restaurant complex, the former Regal cinema into flats and shops? It will be interesting to see if, and when ,any development work begins on the old Chantry House site at the Kirkgate roundabout. Even work on the old mill complex next to the Hepworth gallery seems to have come to a stop.

Re: Future of Wakefield City Centre : Sat Nov 13, 2021 9:30 pm  

Tileyard North looks a very much welcome addition to the city and will regenerate the old Mills. The city itself needs a full make over, it looks so drab and outdated, and the council need more vision rather than looking to stick affordable housing on ever open space as they seem to want to do with the Chantry House and the old ABC sites. Walking through Leeds and they are spending some real cash smartening the paving areas/public squares and it really makes a difference on perception which bring in new ventures and wealth.

Trinity Walk is a plus not a minus, the Ridings could be so much more and the idea to give a face-lift to the BHS store is a great one. The main thing the council should do is drop the rates to encourage businesses to the city, otherwise its going to be bookies, pound and vape shops galore.