Castleford Boho: £24m masterplan to transform town launched

Sagar Street is being seen as a major target for improvement by the council

A new "creative business and skills quarter" is being touted as a way of transforming part of Castleford.

The regeneration project, which will be known as Castleford Boho, is to be a link between the town centre and the riverside along Sagar Street.

Wakefield Council said Castleford Boho was the first step in a £24m grand plan for the area.

Councillor Darren Byford said the plans were "exciting" and a move towards improving peoples' lives in the town.

The first stage of work is a scheme to improve the look of shop fronts on Sagar Street with grants being offered to businesses.

It is hoped the area will be a hub for "skills and independent, innovative businesses that bring diversity, education and creative thinking" to the heart of the town.

The scheme is the first in a "major" investment programme, guided by the Castleford Strategic Regeneration Framework, the council said.

'Vibrant and bustling destinations'

The cost of the project is to be made available from the government's Towns Fund once it's been approved in the coming months.

Other schemes include work at Henry Moore Square, a riverside improvement project with new public spaces and a future housing development.

The areas will be turned into "vibrant and bustling destinations", the council added.

Cllr Byford, Wakefield Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economic Growth and Property, said he hoped to attract businesses in the creative sector to choose Castleford as a base.

"To achieve our aim of making Castleford a centre of business and creative excellence we are also investing in transport links, to boost connections between the railway and bus stations, town centre, riverside and other locations."