The Arcade
Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, England
The Arcade - Dewsbury
Late-Victorian shopping arcade to become the first community-run shopping centre in the UK
Grade II
Built in 1899, and located in the town square, this late Victorian Arcade consists of 16 small shops and 4 larger units with a second floor running above. Once a thriving arcade, with attractive shopfronts and decorative ironwork, it was home to a wide variety of tenants, from coffee houses and florists to tobacconists and record shops. However, following the combination of a decrease in town centre footfall, the departure of tenants and the deterioration of the site, the Arcade closed in 2016. In 2020, Kirklees Council purchased the site from the private owner.
The Arcade – Dewsbury steering group was established in October 2020, with the aim of taking on a long lease from the Council. The vision is to transform The Arcade into the UK’s first community-run shopping centre. It will become a vibrant space for local and young entrepreneurs, offering arcade units to a range of tenants to create an interesting mix of retail, restaurants, and community space. There is also a second floor running above the shops that will offer 8 studios. The Grade II-listed building’s historic architecture will be restored and maintained, preserving a piece of Dewsbury’s history for future generations, whilst also bringing the much-loved shopping centre back into use to support the longer-term aim of reviving Dewsbury town centre.
An AHF Project Viability Grant, awarded in 2020, supported The Arcade – Dewsbury to achieve preferred bidder status for the lease of the building by funding community consultation and engagement, an outline business plan, and a PR campaign. In addition, the group went on to register as a Community Benefit Society and to issue a community share offer, from which it gained 200 shareholder members and raised £125,000. In March 2024, the AHF awarded a further grant to The Arcade – Dewsbury, which enabled it to complete development work. With the help of a £4.5m National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, capital work to refurbish Dewsbury Arcade began in April 2024. It is expected to reopen in summer 2025.
https://www.arcade-dewsbury.org/
AHF Funding
Project Viability Grant - £15,000 (2020)
Project Development Grant - £50,000 (2024)