Former gasworks site to become employment hub focused on health innovation, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.
Kirklees Council has unveiled an ambitious plan to regenerate a former gasworks site in the heart of Huddersfield, in West Yorkshire.
The proposed Ignition Works employment hub in Huddersfield, image courtesy of Kirklees Council
The aim is to attract private investment with which to transform the site into an ‘employment hub’ for pioneering tech, including health innovation, life sciences and advanced manufacturing.
After Cabinet approval of the plan in March, last month it was presented to a targeted group of investors and developers at the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF). There, the response demonstrated early market interest in opportunities for collaboration between business, world-leading research and innovation expertise.
Discussions are now under way ahead of a formal procurement process to appoint a private sector development partner later in the year.
The site, which is close to Huddersfield town centre and next to the University of Huddersfield’s National Health Innovation Campus (NHIC), was previously home to a number of gasworks that were demolished in the 1960s and 1970s. The freehold is owned by Kirklees Council, though some leasehold interests remain in place. In 2022, the site was identified as a strategic opportunity to improve the supply of high-quality employment land in the Station to Stadium Enterprise Corridor Masterplan.
The name ‘Ignition Works’ reflects the industrial heritage of the site – and wider region – but also looks forward, reflecting a vision for the future where ideas, innovation and collaboration can be turned into real-world impact.
David Shepherd, Executive Director of Place at Kirklees Council, says: ‘Today’s launch of Ignition Works marks a bold new chapter for this site. It reflects our ambition to create a place where innovation can thrive and ideas can be turned into real-world opportunities.
‘By introducing Ignition Works on a national stage at places such as UKREiiF, we’re inviting investment, partnership and collaboration to help shape a new employment hub that builds on Huddersfield’s growing strengths in innovation, health and advanced manufacturing. The site will complement the University of Huddersfield’s ground-breaking NHIC, providing space for businesses that want to co-locate and collaborate.’
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, adds: ‘Our Local Growth Plan is boosting the region’s fastest growing sectors and backing local businesses to get the skills, workspace and investment they need to thrive. We’re working with businesses and the council to unlock new investment, create well-paid jobs and grow our world leading health and life sciences sector.
‘Alongside the National Health Innovation Campus, this site will become a nationally significant centre of excellence for innovation, driving the development of lifechanging technologies, and contributing to a brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.’
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