Castleford connections

Overview

The council has received a £23.9m Town Deal from the Government's Towns Fund to support a range of projects in Castleford.

These projects aim to revitalise Castleford as a distinctive riverside market town. This will leverage its rich heritage to attract new businesses and employment opportunities. Additionally, they will provide skills training opportunities and create high-quality environments for residents and visitors to enjoy.

The four projects included in our Town Deal program have had extensive public consultation since 2020. They have received endorsement from our Castleford Town Deal Board.

Joining the Dots

 The Connections project focuses on the whole town centre. This project has secured additional investment from Network Rail to enhance the area surrounding train station. This will be the first phase of wider way finding work aiming to make sure people can get around Castleford with ease.

The project will make it easier for pedestrians, wheelchair users and cyclists to move around the town by:

• improving signage – we will supplement the current signage throughout the town. This will ensure clear directions to important locations, such as:
  
  • train and bus stations
  • Castleford market
  • Heritage attractions
  • the new riverside area
  • Car parks and many more

This will help people find the quickest routes between these key destinations

• adding greening – The Council has declared both Climate and Biodiversity Emergencies
  • this means all projects need to think about how they can support action on these priorities
  • urban greening also offers a simple way to improve public space for those who use it
    
    
• providing good seating – We all have different levels of fitness and mobility
  • to ensure inclusivity, we will provide a variety of seating options in key locations throughout Castleford
  • this will allow everyone to enjoy the improvements we are making and provide spaces for people to rest whenever necessary

Impact

This project aims to initiate improvements in Castleford while also setting the foundation for future projects. Later initiatives will explore ways to enhance connections with Xscape/Junction 32 and the Housing Zone surrounding the town.

Timeline

• Train station connectivity work starts: early 2024
• Train station connectivity work completed: early 2025
• Wider town centre connectivity work starts: mid 2025
• Wider town centre connectivity work completed: early 2026