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Halifax was one of the first towns to use partnerships to promote urban regeneration. Partnerships were very important because the district did not qualify for any grants to attract new investment.
A team was set up in a shop front to promote the Calderdale Inheritance Project, with secondees from the private sector and the local authority. The Dean Clough were bought by a property developer who succeeded in converting the mill into managed workspace and arts facilities which convinced others of the town’s potential.
The Calderdale Partnership was established, with support from Business in the Community, and helped to secure publicity for the district through royal visits, conferences and exhibitions and the promotion of tourism and a children’s museum ‘Eureka!, to develop a derelict site, and another was the award winning bus station.
However, there was some concern from local people that the centre was being neglected. Following a consultant’s report in 1995, Halifax Council adopted a strategy for the town centre applying town centre management. The task of the manager is to put the focus back on the town centre by improving facilities, reducing traffic and pollution, and creating an attractive and safe environment.
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