Food Hall Plans Move Forward As Specialist Team Joins Our Cultural Heart

Plans for Huddersfield’s new Food Hall are gathering pace, with food and hospitality specialists JT & Crew joining the Our Cultural Heart team to lead the work to get the new venue ready for opening.

The Food Hall is part of the first phase of Our Cultural Heart, alongside the new Library Hub and Queensgate Square.   With the space itself now built, attention is turning to what will fill it: the food, the traders, the atmosphere and all the work behind the scenes needed to create a Food Hall people will want to visit again and again.   JT & Crew will work alongside Kirklees Council to take the Food Hall from the new space it is today to a fully operational venue, ready to welcome its first customers in 2027.   A big part of that work will be finding the right mix of independent food businesses from the region. The ambition is to bring together an exciting and varied group of traders, including established businesses as well as new and growing ones, offering different food, flavours and price points. But getting a new Food Hall up and running involves much more than finding great food.   JT & Crew will lead work across everything from the design and fit-out of the space to recruiting the team, supporting traders, food safety and compliance, and making sure all the practical details are in place for opening.   Councillor John Hardie, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Highways and Transport, said:   "The Food Hall represents a significant investment in Huddersfield town centre and our focus now is on making sure we get the next stage right.   "That means creating an offer that works for Huddersfield, attracting the right mix of traders and putting the Food Hall on a strong and sustainable footing for the future.   "There is a lot of work involved in getting a venue like this ready to open and run successfully. Bringing JT & Crew's specialist experience into the project will help us make informed decisions as we move through that process, from finding and supporting traders to getting the operational details right.   "We'll be sharing more over the coming months and, importantly, we'll soon be opening up opportunities for food and drink businesses interested in being part of the Food Hall."   JT & Crew's work will continue beyond opening day. For a further two years, the specialists will work alongside the Food Hall's new management team, helping to build the knowledge, skills and systems needed to run and grow the venue for the future. Their work will also focus on creating the right environment for traders to succeed, from supporting businesses through the move into the Food Hall to menu development, training and ongoing support.   Jeremy Taylor, Director at JT & CREW LTD, added:   “We at JT & CREW are absolutely delighted to be supporting Kirklees Council on such a pivotal element of the Our Cultural Heart regeneration project. This landmark initiative for Huddersfield represents a significant investment in the town’s cultural and economic future, and we are proud to contribute our experience, energy, and commitment to ensuring the food hall becomes a vibrant, community‑anchored success.   “It is truly a privilege to help shape a project that will bring new life, opportunity, and pride to the town centre.”   The new Library Hub will be the first part of Our Cultural Heart to open its doors on Monday 21 September, with Queensgate Square providing a new public space at the heart of the development.   And there is plenty more to come.   More details about the Food Hall, including its new identity and how food and drink businesses can express an interest in becoming a trader, will be revealed soon.