30,000 homes needed in Kirklees over next 15 years

Plans for 166 homes on Mirfield Moor are currently making their way through the planning process.

Kirklees Council is now consulting on a plan to replace the failed Local Development Framework (LDF), which left the council struggling to defend itself against developers.

The new Local Plan will contain a map of the district showing where land has been identified for different uses such as housing, employment and open space. Planning policies will also be set out to make sure development which comes forward is sustainable.

When the Local Plan is agreed and in place – hopefully by 2017 – planning applications will be judged against what it sets out.

Coun Peter McBride, Cabinet member for Investment and Regneration, said: ““We are planning for the next 15 years, not for just one year. We’re talking about needing 2,000 new homes a year. That’s not a figure pulled out of the air, it’s based on population growth, immigration and family units.”

Kirklees Council has started a six-week informal consultation on the proposals. The authority withdrew the LDF last year after criticism from a planning inspector. As a result it’s created a planning “loophole” meaning open spaces across the district could be built on, because the council has no formal plan for where new homes can go.

Coun McBride has also stressed that Kirklees needs to find plans for industry in Kirklees in order to boost our economy.

Visit the Kirklees Council website to have your say.