Huddersfield: Grass roof plan for £20m bus station revamp

A grass "living roof" could be built as part of a multi-million pound transformation of a West Yorkshire bus station, councillors have been told.

The roof is among "game-changing" £20m plans for Huddersfield Bus Station, set for approval later this week.

Kirklees councillors said they hoped the redevelopment would see more people using the site.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) is expected to give the go-ahead to fund the scheme on Friday.

The upgrade, a joint project between Kirklees Council and WYCA, would also include the installation of solar panels and a cycle hub with 60 new spaces for bicycles, aimed at cutting carbon emissions, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

There are currently just six bike stands at the bus station.

Other features would include new seating, a fully accessible "Changing Places" toilet, a contemplation room and upgraded shop fronts.

A public consultation as part of the planning process found the majority of people using the bus station did not find the current building attractive or comfortable, while 43% said they did not feel safe using the site.

But speaking at a meeting of Kirklees Council's economy and neighbourhoods scrutiny panel on Tuesday, Councillor John Taylor said WYCA had "missed a trick" by mainly consulting people who already used the bus station.

He said: "If you want to increase bus patronage, you need to speak to people who aren't using buses, not the people who are, because you need to find out why they're not using buses."

Meanwhile, Councillor Matthew Mcloughlin told the meeting he had concerns about the removal of "three rather healthy, happy-looking trees" to make way for a new canopy and wanted to know if they could be moved elsewhere.

If given the go-ahead, the redevelopment of the Huddersfield Bus Station site is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

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