Morley Town Hall set for an upgrade if town wins £25m government grant

Leeds City Council decision-makers will meet next week to discuss plans for Morley to bid for a government grant that it hopes would help create jobs, improve public spaces and “uplift” the town’s economy.

A final list of projects will be completed in January, and is expected to be assessed by the Government over the following months, with a decision made in the spring of 2021.

The town investment plan will also include a “vision for Morley”, as well as listing needs and ambitions for the town and how the money will help achieve them.

Arguing the case for Morley to receive the funding, the document states: “Morley has high labour market participation rates with higher levels of employment and economic activity than comparator locations.

“While Morley is a relatively affordable location to live, with house prices on average lower than Leeds, there remains a need to provide affordable housing in Morley and across the city. As a town, Morley has a number of assets that make it an attractive visitor location, particularly in terms of heritage buildings, including the Grade I listed town hall which is underutilised and has potential for investment.”

“While rail connectivity is strong, there remain public transport cold spots

and the local job opportunities in Morley may be difficult to access for some wider South Leeds residents as a result.

“In spite of Morley’s strong labour market participation rates, the town has a lower skills base profile than the city as a whole. There are also fewer residents in the most highly skilled jobs.”

In terms of individual projects that Morley folk can expect to see, the document lists the “uplifting of Morley town centre”, focusing largely on the future use of “underused heritage buildings”, as well as supporting the arts and public spaces.

It adds: “The town hall represents one such heritage asset, which has a prominent role at the heart of the town centre and where there is opportunity to leverage this building to generate economic activity and growth in Morley.”

Other potential projects include improving public transport and cycling infrastructure; extra community gardens and green spaces, and further employment schemes and jobs creation.

The report concludes: “The towns fund is an exciting opportunity for the council, working closely with local stakeholders and the town deal board, to secure significant funding for Morley, with the chance to achieve transformational uplift to the economic performance of the town and to benefit the wider community across multiple indicators including skills, health and employment access.

“It is clear that an ambitious and highly impactful bid can be developed which will have the potential to provide both local and regional benefits.”

The bid is for a slice of the Government’s Towns Fund – a £3.6bn project which invites local authorities to bid for grants of up to £25m to help improve smaller towns and districts.

Leeds City Council’s executive board will meet on December 16 to discuss the bid.

An “intermediate project list” has been included with the plans. It lists as follows:

Events and arts space provision

Skills hub/campus

Town Square / new heart to the Town Centre

Business space development

Heritage building improvements and public realm

Morley Town Hall upgrades and repurposing

The New Pavilion

Housing

Specialist housing

Skills and Innovation Hub

Greenspace package

Shared Community hub

Morley high street improvements

Morley train station improvements

Morley public transport improvements

Highways improvements

Cycling and pathway schemes

Public realm enhancements within the town centre