Bradford Council’s commitment to use brownfield sites for at least half of the 42,000 new homes the authority says need to be built by 2030 is a welcome one – but the question for many is will it go far enough in protecting our green spaces?

This newspaper has for years campaigned for developers to be encouraged to use up the hundreds of derelict and disused urban sites before they are allowed to build on our precious greenbelt and other open spaces in the district.

The Council’s pledge as part of the ongoing public inquiry into its Local Plan is a recognition of the strength of feeling against the continued loss of huge swathes of green spaces to housing, but it can surely be argued that the proportion should be much higher than half.

Our Save Our Green Spaces campaign identified sites suitable for thousands and thousands of homes, from old mills and factories to schools and pubs down to individual housing plots.

All of these must be exhausted as part of the housebuilding strategy and only then should we be looking at green spaces.

And even if the estimated demand for housing is correct, the real need will be in inner city Bradford and in our bigger towns, not the high-priced homes in rural locations too many current developments are creating.

Bradford Council has a great opportunity to protect our precious green spaces and at the same time, create regeneration in derelict and disused urban developments. Only when the final ratified Local Plan is produced will it become clear to what degree the authority has seized that opportunity.