PLANS for a new £5.39 million community centre have been branded a ‘permanent stain’ on the Victorian centre of Saltaire by campaigners.
A Community, Arts, Heritage and Future Technology (CAHFT) Centre has been proposed for the World Heritage Site, which is expected to be an initial welcoming point for visitors to the village.
The site will include a public exhibition space, community classrooms and a new home for the Saltaire Collection.
It will be located on the site of the former St John Ambulance building and current public toilets and car park on Victoria Road/Caroline Street. If approved, work will be completed in August 2024.
Letters entitled ‘Say NO to the building of a technology centre in the heart of Victorian Saltaire village’ have been distributed to residents’ homes, with the deadline for the public consultation ending on Friday, December 2.
The letter states: “The building is also (cynically) proposed as an arts/artefacts and heritage centre but Saltaire already has these facilities in the (Salts) Mill and Victoria Hall.
“The magnificent Victorian buildings of Saltaire are its heritage. A new-build would be a permanent stain on the wholly Victorian centre of Saltaire.
“The villagers of Saltaire have, for years, put up with restrictions on upgrading their own homes for the benefit of the unique, Victorian heritage of Saltaire village: that is what keeps it a World Heritage Site.”
A planning application has yet to be submitted but residents were given the chance to see artists' impressions at a drop-in event held earlier this month.
A Shipley College spokesman said: “We actively welcome feedback from our community and have received a wide range of comments and queries during and since the public consultation event.
“Drawing out informed opinion from local stakeholders is the aim of the consultation process, so we are pleased at this, and lots of residents and business owners have engaged with the plans very positively.
“We would encourage all those with an interest to view the proposals in full, which they can do at shipley.ac.uk/news, and provide feedback by midnight on Friday, December 2.
“The planning application will not be submitted until January, so we will continue to work with our local architects, our partners the Saltaire Collection, Historic England, the Planning Authority, Shipley Town Council, the Towns Fund and UNESCO to ensure the project is a fitting and exciting addition to the village.”
Residents can give feedback on the plans via consultation@shipley.ac.uk
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