Snowflex® to be part of £100m HD One tourist village for stadium.

Galpharm Stadium in Huddersfield today unveiled a major development expected to create more than 720 jobs and turn Huddersfield into a top tourist destination.

They have announced plans for a £100m-plus scheme to put the Galpharm at the hub of a major leisure and commercial complex designed to attract visitors to Huddersfield and help it compete with attractions in Leeds and Manchester.

The ambitious scheme will include building 9,500m2 Snowflex® ski slope facility, two nightclubs, a casino and bingo hall, a music venue, a pool hall and a 10-pin bowling alley. The new proposals also include 144 apartments, 21 restaurants, cafés and bars, a 150-bedroom hotel, a convenience store and sports shop, an estate and travel agency, office space and a multi-storey car park with 1,754 spaces.

The ski slope would be built against the slope of Kilner Bank, avoiding the need for a towering, free-standing structure.

Stadium managing director Ralph Rimmer said a planning application for the scheme would be submitted this month, in July 2008.

Work is planned to begin by the end of next year and is due to be carried out over 40 months in four phases.

Mr Rimmer stressed: "The stadium operates 12 months of the year and remains the heartbeat of the complex. The work will be done in phases, to avoid disrupting the work of the stadium."

The stadium and current attractions on site would all remain in operation throughout the work.

Mr Rimmer said the development scheme, named HD One, aimed to turn Huddersfield into a leisure destination for people living outside the town and surrounding districts.

"This is an attempt to bring in new and interesting things to the town. We have tried to be innovative and make it an attractive proposition for everyone. This scheme also goes some way to helping the local authority meet its targets for jobs and investment in the Kirklees Strategic Economic Zone, which centres on the Leeds Road corridor."

Mr Rimmer said the scheme had its origins four years ago when the Kirklees Stadium Development Company Limited (KSDL) began considering ways to upgrade the stadium and make greater use of the 54-acre site.

He said: "The stadium was ground-breaking when it was built in 1994 and it has added massively to the Kirklees area in general. The KSDL board are keen to do something ground-breaking once again."

He said the new development would complement existing attractions, including the Stadium Health and Fitness Centre and the neighbouring Odeon multiplex cinema.

The development was welcomed by Councillor Robert Light, leader of Kirklees Council. He said: "This is a great proposal which will further enhance the position of Huddersfield in the region and link the Leeds Road stadium complex to the town. The development will offer facilities not presently in Huddersfield and help to widen the appeal of the area beyond the traditional area.

"This will help develop… the stadium as a key leisure facility."

Terry Di Stasi, Briton’s Director of Business Development, added that Briton were delighted to be part of such prestigious development, particularly as it was on their doorstep and would be seen as a prominent showroom for Snowflex®.

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