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Briton
Engineering Developments
To
develop prestigious Snowflex® Slope
on
its doorstep.
Snowflex® to be part of £100m tourist village
for stadium
Galpharm
Stadium in Huddersfield today unveiled a major
development expected to create more than 720 jobs and turn Huddersfield into a top
tourist destination.
They
have announced plans for a £100m-plus scheme to put the Galpharm at the hub of
a major leisure and commercial complex designed to attract visitors to Huddersfield and help it
compete with attractions in Leeds and Manchester.
The
ambitious scheme will include building 9,500m2 Snowflex® ski slope facility,
two nightclubs, a casino and bingo hall, a music venue, a pool hall and a
10-pin bowling alley. The new proposals also include 144 apartments, 21
restaurants, cafés and bars, a 150-bedroom hotel, a convenience store and
sports shop, an estate and travel agency, office space and a multi-storey car
park with 1,754 spaces.
The
ski slope would be built against the slope of Kilner Bank, avoiding the need
for a towering, free-standing structure.
Stadium
managing director Ralph Rimmer said a planning application for the scheme would
be submitted this month, in July 2008.
Work
is planned to begin by the end of next year and is due to be carried out over
40 months in four phases.
Mr
Rimmer stressed: "The stadium operates 12 months of the year and remains
the heartbeat of the complex. The work will be done in phases, to avoid
disrupting the work of the stadium."
The
stadium and current attractions on site would all remain in operation
throughout the work.
Mr
Rimmer said the development scheme, named HD One, aimed to turn Huddersfield into a leisure
destination for people living outside the town and surrounding districts.
"This
is an attempt to bring in new and interesting things to the town. We have tried
to be innovative and make it an attractive proposition for everyone. This
scheme also goes some way to helping the local authority meet its targets for
jobs and investment in the Kirklees Strategic Economic Zone, which centres on
the Leeds Road
corridor."
Mr
Rimmer said the scheme had its origins four years ago when the Kirklees Stadium
Development Company Limited (KSDL) began considering ways to upgrade the stadium
and make greater use of the 54-acre site.
He
said: "The stadium was ground- breaking when it was built in 1994 and it
has added massively to the Kirklees area in general. The KSDL board are keen to
do something ground-breaking once again."
He
said the new development would complement existing attractions, including the
Stadium Health and Fitness Centre and the neighbouring Odeon multiplex cinema.
The
development was welcomed by Councillor Robert Light, leader of Kirklees
Council. He said: "This is a great proposal which will further enhance the
position of Huddersfield in the region and link
the Leeds Road stadium
complex to the town. The development will offer facilities not presently in Huddersfield and help to
widen the appeal of the area beyond the traditional area.
"This
will help develop … the stadium as a key leisure facility."
Terry
Di Stasi, Briton’s Director of Business Development, added that Briton were delighted
to be part of such prestigious development, particularly as it was on their
doorstep and would be seen as a prominent showroom for Snowflex®.
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