Earlier this year, Wakefield Council announced a long-term vision to regenerate a part of Wakefield city centre over the next 10 to 15 years, including proposals to demolish The Ridings Shopping Centre to support wider regeneration.

We heard from VCSE organisations who were concerned about what this meant for their premises in The Ridings, their work, and the people they support – and that they had not had the opportunity to share this so that it could inform the plans.

On Monday 13 July 2026, Wakefield Council opened a public engagement on regenerating the part of the city around the Cathedral, including The Ridings. They are working with a a new regeneration specialist Muse and have said:

“A successful Wakefield needs a thriving city centre – a place that makes our residents feel proud, that strengthens our local economy and supports businesses and jobs. The City Centre Masterplan (2022) was shaped through lots of consultation with residents and businesses. This gives us a long-term vision for our city centre – creating better leisure options, modern retail, new homes and lively public spaces.”

We encourage charities, community groups, social enterprises, voluntary organisations and not-for-profits in the area to contribute to the consultation. This would be particularly helpful if:

• You’re based in the 'Cathedral Quarter', including at The Ridings
• You run activities or services in the city centre
• Your beneficiaries live in or rely on the city centre
• Or you are interested in shaping the vision and sharing your thoughts

Update on 22 July

To clarify, this is not a consultation on the Cathedral Quarter plans presented early this year (which included the demolition of The Ridings) or on specific options.

The current engagement is "starting a conversation with the people of Wakefield about the future of the part of the city around the Cathedral" and that will inform plans, which the City Regeneration Team have said will then be consulted on.

So this is a blank sheet of paper for the future of Wakefield city centre, and an opportunity for you to share your thoughts and ideas so the local VCSE sector is considered in new plans.

Our member, Wakefield District Sight Aid, have asked Wakefield Council how they will be engaging with communities who may find an online survey difficult to complete e.g. due to accessibility needs or language barriers. They have responded that they "would be delighted to arrange for one of our regeneration officers to come along to your next group meeting...to talk with your members and make sure their feedback is properly recorded."

If this is something you would like to arrange for the people that your organisation/group works with, so they can provide feedback and ideas, please contact Caroline Hughes at cathedralquarter@wakefield.gov.uk

How to share your thoughts

You can find details here: https://www.cathedralquarter-wakefield.com/

1. Online survey

An online survey is open from Monday 13 July to Sunday 2 August. It takes around 7 minutes to complete.

Complete the survey > click here

2. Public engagement sessions

Wakefield Council are running a series of public engagement sessions in July that you are welcome to attend. The drop-in sessions are open to all and will be held on Floor 3 of The Ridings – opposite Esquires Coffee.

The dates are:

• Wednesday 15 July, 1pm to 4pm
• Thursday 16 July, 10am to 7pm
• Friday 17 July, 10am to 4pm
• Saturday 18 July, 11am to 3pm
• Tuesday 21 July, 1pm to 4pm
• Wednesday 22 July, 10am to 1pm
• Thursday 23 July, 10am to 7pm
• Friday 24 July, 10am to 4pm
• Saturday 25 July, 11am to 3pm
• Tuesday 28 July, 10am to 4pm
• Wednesday 29 July, 10am to 4pm

3. Encourage the people you support to engage

This is an opportunity for everyone to have their say, so you may want to signpost this engagement to your beneficiaries.

Please see the update above from 22 July about the opportunity for a regeneration officer to visit your organisation/group to speak to your beneficiaries.

We’re here to support you

If there’s a resource that would make it easier for your organisation to engage, or you’d like to speak to a Nova Adviser about the regeneration, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can reach our team at info@nova-wd.org.uk or 01924 367418.

The Cathedral Quarter website also provides contact information if you want to enquire: cathedralquarter@wakefield.gov.uk or 0808 196 2826.

Next steps

Wakefield Council have shared that following this first phase of engagement, they will come back with a list of shared priorities. They say “In the meantime, we’ll be working with local businesses to keep this part of our city centre, including The Ridings, as busy as possible. We’re committed to working in partnership with local residents and businesses to deliver positive and lasting change.”