Golcar: Asbestos-riddled retirement complex to be rebuilt

A planning application for the new complex in Golcar, Huddersfield is expected to be submitted soon

A £12m scheme to demolish and rebuild a Huddersfield retirement home riddled with asbestos has been approved.

A report revealed that Sycamore Grange in Golcar posed a "significant health and safety risk" to those living there.

Asbestos insulating board was found in the communal corridors and lounge, with legionella samples in the pipework.

Tenants are entitled to £8,000 in compensation for losing their homes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Those living there have been moving out since January, with the complex set to be empty by March 2024.

Kirklees Council has projected it will cost up to £300,000 to relocate residents, with the local authority also losing about £142,000 in rent and council tax due to people moving out.

Construction of the new complex is anticipated to begin in September 2024, with the new site featuring 41 apartments when complete.

The move comes despite the recent announcement Kirklees Council needed to reduce its spending by £47.8m in next year's budget, warning some services would be lost.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the leader of the council described the rebuild as "excellent news".

"Forty-one retirement apartments and do you know, despite things that are going on, this council are very proactive at trying to get things done and I just think it's really encouraging that we're actually able to go ahead with this," councillor Cathy Scott said.

A planning application for the new complex is expected to be submitted in November.