Dewsbury Arcade: Abandoned 'icon' aims to rejuvenate town's retail offer

Those behind the plans for Dewsbury Arcade, pictured in its heyday and in 2023, hope the the closed thoroughfare can be a success once again

An abandoned Victorian arcade in West Yorkshire will be the first community-run shopping centre in the UK, its steering group claims.

The 1899 Grade II-listed Dewsbury Arcade has been a feature of the town for approaching 125 years.

But the once-bustling thoroughfare shut in 2016, with its decline blamed on falling footfall and low investment.

Now, it has gained £4.5m from the National Heritage Lottery Fund to help it become a magnet for shoppers again.

The empty arcade, sandwiched between Market Place and Corporation Street, consists of 16 small shops, four larger spaces and six upstairs studios suitable for artists or offices.

Kirklees Council bought the space in 2020 in an effort to save the building from further decay, with the Arcade Group community business later forming with the purpose of leasing and managing it.

Work on the arcade, pictured in October 2023, is being funded by Kirklees Council, a National Heritage Lottery Fund grant and community investors

It is hoped the refurbished arcade, pictured in an artist's impression, will open to shoppers in early 2025

Chris Hill, Arcade Group development director, said: "People don't want to just sit at home ordering their pots and pans from Amazon, they want to meet other people, sit around and enjoy themselves.

"We want an arcade full of interesting stuff and a place for people to meet and do things - that's going to be the essence of the arcade."

The group is now looking for people to invest in the arcade, with those involved given an equal say in how the company is run.

"You're working for the community, all the profits go back locally and local people can shape what it looks like," he said.

"There's plenty of community-owned shops, but no one has got a string of shops together."

The arcade was a bustling thoroughfare in the middle of Dewsbury for more than 100 years

It runs from Market Place through to Corporation Street in central Dewsbury

The arcade thrived on passing trade during its heyday, but those behind the venture admit they are having to focus on specialist shops to tempt people into the centre of Dewsbury.

Joy Sugden, who lives in Liversedge, met her husband of 56 years around the corner from the arcade.

"I used to get my Clarks shoes fitted in its shoe shop, when I got my first wage at 15 I came down and bought my first Beatles vinyl record from Auty's," she recalled.

"There was a cafe, a flower shop where I ordered my wedding flowers at 21, there were buskers playing and the acoustics were amazing."

She added: "It's such an iconic building and it's part of Dewsbury's history."

What shops does Dewsbury need in 2023?

(L-r) Anya Firth, Rukshana Zeena, Paul Needham, Melanie Wilks

Anya Firth, 18, a pub worker from Dewsbury, said: "I think an independent, quirky bath bomb and soap shop would do well in the arcade, we've got beauty shops and hair salons but I think a shop like that would do well.

"Giftware and homeware shops would do well, a cute little cafe in there could be quite popular for my generation."

Rukshana Zeena, 51, a shop owner from Dewsbury, said: "We need to look at the parking around Dewsbury, plus rates and rents have continued to go up.

"The high street started with independents, so we now need to go full circle - give traders a new lease of life to come back."

Paul Needham, 63, retired, from Dewsbury, said: "When the White Rose Centre in Leeds was built people didn't come into town as much, then Marks and Spencer shut.

"I'd like to see places where you can eat and drink, there's a lot of people working from home now who might want to get out and do some work from a cafe or a bar and see other people."

Melanie Wilks, a sculptor who has a studio in Dewsbury, said: "Artists workshops and gallery spaces would be fantastic.

"I'd like really nice specialist shops to draw people from outside and make Dewsbury a destination."

Construction work is set to begin in 2024, with the Arcade Group calling early 2025 a "realistic opening date".

Food and drink is set to be a key offering in the refurbished space, it said, with the group holding discussions with several potential businesses.

The arcade emptied out from 2011 onwards and then closed in 2016

Chris Hill (l), of the Arcade Group, is spearheading the scheme to revive the arcade, with local business owners including Jonny Slow (r) invited for a tour

Jonny Slow, who owns The Parish, Arcade Beers and Arcade Coffee & Food in nearby Huddersfield, said: "Town centres can't just be hospitality sectors, they need other offers - and something you can't offer online.

"Going into a shop or a coffee shop and having a chat with somebody is really important to the success of the high street in my opinion."

Mr Hill concluded: "We can be endlessly events driven, we'll have dinners in the aisles, put on festivals at different times and really try and bring Dewsbury to life."