People are invited to have their say on new planning guidance to ensure new housing developments have enough high-quality open space and recreational facilities to support residents’ health and wellbeing.
Calderdale’s Local Plan, which was adopted in March 2023, requires new housing developments to meet the open space, sport and recreation needs of new residents, and sets out how much open space and facilities for sport and recreation Calderdale residents should have access to.
The Council has produced the draft Open Space, Sport and Recreation Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) to add more detail to this Local Plan policy. It offers practical advice to developers and the public for development sites, helping to ensure they meet the Local Plan requirements.
A four-week public consultation has now launched, for people to have their say on the Council’s proposed approach for assessing the likely impact on demand for open space, sports and recreation provision arising from new residential development, and whether on-site provision, and / or financial contributions to improving existing provision in the local area are required.
The consultation also proposes a new preferred approach for the long-term management of public open space and community assets in new residential developments, through the adoption of an innovative Stewardship Hub model.
The document and details on how to comment can be found on the Council’s website www.calderdale.gov.uk/spds(external link)
The consultation runs until Friday 17 October 2025, with comments submitted informing the final SPD. The final document will be used as a reference point for decisions on planning applications.
Cllr Scott Patient, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Housing, said:
“High-quality open spaces are so important, enabling communities to come together and boosting health, wellbeing and quality of life. In Calderdale, we’re lucky to have so many places we can enjoy activities like sport, walking or children’s play and we recognise the importance of these spaces as part of the requirements of our Local Plan.
“We want to make sure that the necessary development in the borough is carefully managed. The Open Space, Sport and Recreation SPD outlines what would be required from developers to ensure that we can protect and improve our open spaces now and into the future.”