About the Morley Town Investment Plan and how you can have your say

The Towns Fund

Morley is one of 100 places across the country which was invited to bid for the Government's £3.6 billion Towns Fund. In January 2021, Leeds City Council submitted the Morley Town Investment Plan bid on behalf of the newly established Morley Town Deal Board. They were successful and were awarded £24.3 million to deliver on key Morley priorities including jobs, skills, greenspaces, and bringing cherished buildings back into use.

The Morley Town Investment Plan presented a vision for the town, and described how we are going to achieve that vision. It also identified several projects which would receive investment:

1. The New Pavilion Skills Campus - restoring this locally cherished building and ensuring that it will bring vibrancy to this key gateway into the town centre. It will be transformed into a new adult skills centre to be delivered through a partnership between Leeds City Council and Leeds City College/ Luminate Education Group.

2. Morley Town Hall - We will refurbish this magnificent building to provide a vibrant, accessible, and cultural, community and enterprise centre. This will complement and enhance Morley’s burgeoning arts and cultural scene as well as strengthening the night-time economy.

3. Morley Station Gateway - To improve connectivity between the station and the town centre for locals and visitors, by improving pedestrian and cycle routes to the station.

4. Heritage Investment Fund – To address the poor condition and disuse of prominent buildings in the town centre, providing grant funding to support building improvements and bring them back into use for community benefit.

5. Green and Connected Morley - Will stitch together and enhance disconnected greenspaces across Morley, creating up to 100 acres of new woodland and naturally biodiverse spaces. We will also improve cycle and pedestrian infrastructure, making it easier to walk and cycle in Morley.

6. White Rose Innovation Hub - We will re-purpose 1,200m2 of office space at White Rose Park to create a smart cities-themed innovation hub, urban tech start-up space, digital learning environment, and a showcasing & events zone.

Further information and guidance about the Towns Fund is available from gov.uk

It was a condition of the Towns Fund that a Morley Town Deal Board is established. The role of the Board is to oversee the development of the Town Investment Plan and to ensure that its contents reflect the needs and aspirations of the Morley community. The Morley Town Deal Board oversaw the community engagement process which led to the creation of the plan, and ensured that the findings were reflectedf in its content. They are also providing onging leadership, overseeing the delivery of the plan.

The board was established in September 2020 following an open recruitment process led by Leeds City Council. Members of the Morley Town Deal Board include the MP, Leeds City Council and Morley Town Council Councillors, members of the Morley business community, representatives of local voluntary organisations, and local residents.

We know that it’s important that as many people as possible, whether they live in Morley, work there, or just like to visit, get a chance to have their say on Morley's future. For this reason with have created this dedicated community engagement site. Between now and the end of 2022 we will use this site to distribute news about new developments but crucially this will be a platform for ongoing consultation with the people of Morley. We will therefore be launching new engagement opportunities from this site and providing opportunities for you to continue to have your say about the detail of the projects as they develop.

To maximise the effectiveness of this site we are encouraging you to share the link to this site with your family, neighbours, and friends.

Have your say

We know that it’s important that as many people as possible, whether they live in Morley, work there, or just like to visit, get a chance to have their say on Morley's future. For this reason with have created this dedicated community engagement site. 

Between now and the end of the fund we will use this site to distribute news about new developments but crucially this will be a platform for ongoing consultation with the people of Morley. We will therefore be launching new engagement opportunities from this site and providing opportunities for you to continue to have your say about the detail of the projects as they develop. 

To maximise the effectiveness of this site we are encouraging you to share the link to this site with your family, neighbours, and friends.