Clock ticking for controversial restaurant plans on iconic Castle Hill

The developer – The Thandi Partnership – has just 10 months to obtain a necessary consent and get construction work underway, before planning permission runs out.

In October 2020, plans for a restaurant with bedrooms, interpretation facilities for visitors, and a car park to be built on the ancient site, were narrowly approved by the council. Planning permission for the scheme was granted almost 18 months later, complete with a list of 30 conditions.

Locals condemned the plans, with Almondbury ward councillor at the time, Coun Bernard McGuin, saying the council “sold the soul of Huddersfield for not much in return”.

Before any work can begin, Scheduled Monument Consent – from Historic England – has to be obtained due to the site’s status and archaeological significance. However, on Monday (Jun 17) Historic England confirmed it is yet to receive an application from the developer for this permission.

The Thandi Partnership will have to act quickly if the project is to be realised as planning permission will expire in February next year if there have been no spades in the ground. The planning saga surrounding Castle Hill has rumbled on for decades with a stream of applications being turned down or falling through.

The Thandi Partnership acquired the original Castle Hill Hotel in the 1990s and had plans for its refurbishment. Planning permission was granted in 2002, though this development never materialised. Since then, several proposals have been put forward by the developers until the latest was approved in 2020.