10:56pm Friday 9th May 2008
By Will Kilner
A planner has warned that growing caution among developers makes it unrealistic to expect Government housing targets to be met in the Bradford district.
Last year, the regional housing plan called for 54,840 homes - either new-build or conversion - by 2026 in the district. This would require 2,700 homes a year to meet demand from a growing population.
But Councillor Chris Greaves, chairman of the Keighley Area Planning Panel and alternate member of the Shipley Planning Panel, said economic uncertainty associated with the credit crunch has put those targets out of reach.
He said: "At the moment, developers are building about 1,500 homes a year pre-credit crunch, so what reason do we have to expect builders to build twice as many in the current economic climate?
"There's going to be a pull-back and some developers have already said they are not building any more. The banks are being far more cautious about how much financing they will provide.
"Hopefully, it will force developers to look closely to see what people actually want because, for the last few years, you would have thought that everybody wanted two bedroom flats. Perhaps developers will start building houses again, so we can get a better mix."
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