About Dewsbury Arcade
A decision by the National Lottery Heritage fund to grant aid Kirklees Council £4.5m in June ’23, completed the financial package and means the refurbishment of the Arcade can start, with a view to opening around Easter ’25.
The listed Arcade, with its beautiful roof and ironwork is close to many Dewsbury hearts. Built in 1899, it was a popular town centre thoroughfare right through to 2014.
A combination of falling town centre footfall, poor management and lack of investment by absentee owners, saw the Arcade empty out from 2011 and finally close in 2016
After considering all its options, in May 2020 the Council purchased the Arcade and as one of the lead projects in the ‘Dewsbury Blueprint’ is investing money in a full refurbishment.
The Arcade consists of 16 small shops, bookended by 4 larger units at the Market Place and Commercial Street ends of around 500 sq ft per floor. The shops are around 200 sq ft.
There is a second floor running above the shops that will offer 8 studios that may be suitable for artists
The Arcade cannot be what it was. It cannot consist of shops relying on passing trade. We have to create reasons for people making a special trip – specialist shops (that probably have an online presence as well), culture, events, creative work etc. We also need to work with the Dewsbury Market team to make the town centre worth visiting again.
Below is the video we used in our community share campaign in November 2023 that successfully raised £125,000 from 200 investor members