Esh Construction begins work on project to better connect communities around Elland and West Vale

Plans to improve travel routes around Elland and West Vale have taken a step forward with preparatory work now underway in West Vale.

The scheme - which was given the green light by planners in November 2024 - will create easier and safer connections between Elland town centre and wider areas and will support access to the planned new Elland Rail Station.

Esh Construction was appointed by Calderdale Council in January 2025 to complete detailed designs for the project – working together with design partner Fairhurst – ahead of beginning the main works this month.

Steven Garrigan, Divisional Director at Esh Construction, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Calderdale Council to bring our knowledge and expertise in delivering high-quality public realm schemes to the Elland Access Package. Projects like this make a real difference to communities and are a catalyst for future growth and development.

“Throughout the scheme we are committed to making an impact locally by delivering a raft of social value initiatives. This will include providing work experience placements, apprenticeship and T Level opportunities on site, donations, volunteering, and reinvesting money into the local economy through responsible procurement.”

In Elland, a new pedestrian and cycle bridge – crossing both the Calder and Hebble Navigation and the River Calder – will be constructed to provide direct connections between Park Road, Gas Works Lane, and Riverside Park. Existing pedestrian routes and the canal towpath will be upgraded and a new children’s play area created, alongside a variety of landscaping works to improve the surrounding environment and public spaces.

In West Vale, a second pedestrian and cycle bridge will be constructed to cross the River Calder, providing a new travel route between West Vale and Elland via the Calder and Hebble Navigation. As well as this, a connection to the new bridge will be created from Stainland Road through a new access route parallel to the Black Brook.

Initial preparatory works on site include the installation of a crane pad and ground investigation works, and the installation of pile platforms to support piling works for the bridge piers and abutments. Riverside Park will be used as a works area to facilitate the construction of the new bridge in Elland.

Procured via YORhub’s YORcivil3 framework, the project has received funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund and the UK Government’s Transforming Cities Fund.