Calderdale’s draft Local Plan is on the brink of publication following approval at an Extraordinary Council meeting last night (Thursday).
The ambitious plan identifies sites for around 9500 new homes and areas for economic growth over the next 15 years, supporting the Council’s Vision 2024 to make Calderdale a place where people want to live, work, visit and invest.
The Council has calculated that it needs around 12,600 new homes by 2033, however around 1900 are already in the planning process, and about 1300 homes, which have not already been identified, are expected to come forward through future planning applications.
Councillors agreed to the publication of the draft Local Plan, which will mark the start of a six week period during which members of the public may make formal representations, or comments, on the proposals.
The draft Local Plan will be published on the Council’s website at 9.00am on Friday 10 August 2018 and will also be available to view at Calderdale libraries and at Customer First. The representation period will close at 5.00pm on Monday 24 September 2018.
Although the Council will not be able to amend the draft Local Plan after reviewing the representations made by the public, they will be included with the draft Local Plan when it is submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Environment, Cllr Daniel Sutherland said:
“This is a major milestone in the development of our Local Plan which will help us deliver our vision for Calderdale.
“Over the next 15 years we must ensure that everyone has the chance to live in a decent home, that there are opportunities for our entrepreneurial spirit to thrive and that there is access to good, high quality employment so that we can retain our skilled and talented workforce within the borough.
“As important is our need to protect our heritage and our landscapes, and I am delighted that the Local Plan will allow us to protect over 99% of Calderdale’s green belt and surrounding countryside from development.”
The draft Local Plan has already been through two formal public consultations, in 2015/16 and again in 2017, which has influenced the proposals as they have developed.
The most recent consultation resulted in over 8000 individual comments from local people across the borough. These have all been carefully analysed and considered by the Council before the final draft of the Local Plan was prepared.
The Council is following a timetable for publication which was agreed with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which will see the draft Local Plan, including the representations from the public, submitted in December 2018.
Calderdale’s Local Plan will then be examined in detail by an independent Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State. The examination could last around nine months.
Adoption of the plan by Calderdale Council, following receipt of the Inspector’s Report, is expected to be confirmed by the end of 2019.