Yorkshire Children’s Centre (YCC), which has its headquarters at Brian Jackson House, Huddersfield has recently been impacted because of the redevelopment of Huddersfield train station.
The changes come from the Transpennine Route Upgrade plan. In the plan, Network Rail plans to invest in the railway that runs through Huddersfield to Leeds and beyond, to improve connectivity and help support economic growth in the North of England.
After a long period of planning and consultation, Network Rail officially commenced the redevelopment of the station on 8 May 2023. In doing so, YCC – situated next door to the station – has lost the use of Network Rail owned land to the rear of Brian Jackson House. YCC have used this land for over 35 years.
This move means that YCC have restricted rights to access the back of their building, for prearranged deliveries only. This access was previously used for deliveries, staff parking, and an entrance for service users amongst many other things. YCC ultimately only own and have a legal right to access the land which the building sits upon – and not an inch more.
CEO Mark Farmer said: “We completely support the upgrade to the railway service for Huddersfield, as part of the wider regeneration of the town and wider Kirklees. We have worked closely with Network Rail and its partners to maintain some access but are looking for alternative parking arrangements to help our employees and building users.”
YCC’s Head of Children and Family Services, Catherine McKenzie, explained: “In terms of service delivery, we have already been impacted by simple things such as access into the building which has affected delivery of our much-needed child safety equipment. This has resulted in precious staff time being utilised to make alterative arrangements rather than spending time supporting families.”
YCC continues to operate within Brian Jackson House including delivering services on site such as Stay and Play, Child Contact and Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Programme work.
YCC are appealing for any individuals or local organisations who may know of any free parking opportunities/may have a few parking spaces to spare close to the Brian Jackson House building, to please get in touch with YCC to support the delivery of the charity.
