Second chance to have your say on where homes and businesses will be built over next 15 years in Kirklees

The draft Local Plan, which covers land allocation for the next 15 years, has been changed following earlier consultation and revisions include changes to development sites and some of the policies.

Almost 6,000 people were involved in the last round of consultation and more than 17,000 comments were received.

In the Spen Valley and surrounding areas, most comments were received about the housing proposals at Ferrand Lane in Gomersal, Merchant Fields in Cleckheaton, Raikes Lane in Birstall, and land off Hightown Road in Liversedge.

The Hightown Road green belt site - which was allocated for up to 58 homes - has been removed from the plan. Merchant Fields, Hunsworth Lane in Cleckheaton, a greenbelt site which had been allocated for mixed use development of 371 homes and 4,656 sq m of employment space, is now purely for housing, providing the space for 413 homes.

Five new housing sites in Hightown, Gomersal and Cleckheaton have been added to the plan - for between 14 and 48 homes - plus a mixed-use site in Westgate, Cleckheaton.

Councillor Kath Pinnock (Lib Dem, Cleckheaton) said: “We have still got quite a lot of work to do to try and mitigate some of these proposals. We accept we need housing and have welcomed the 1,000 new homes in Cleckheaton in the last ten years but any more needs to be in the right places.

“In Cleckheaton there are 26 sites in the Local Plan, most of which are for housing, which is much more than anywhere else. It needs to be fair to the town.”

The Local Plan is designed to provide the space for 31,000 new homes.

Councillor Peter McBride, Kirklees Council's cabinet member for regeneration, previously said having a local plan in place was "not a choice" but required by the government.

A Planning Inspectorate will decide whether the plan is appropriate.

The consultation runs until December 19, and details are available online at kirklees.gov.uk/localplan.

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