GOVERNMENT ministers have warned Bradford Council it must build on brownfield sites before the greenbelt.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said he expected Bradford to follow guidelines set out regarding brownfield, after Shipley MP Philip Davies told Parliament of his concerns.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Davies said: “What will Government do to ensure that Bradford Council build on the brownfield sites it has identified before it starts concreting over and building on Greenfield sites and the green belt in my constituency?”

Mr Davies has said building on greenbelt in his constituency will not ease the need for housing in the centre of Bradford. He added brownfield sites must be used before any greenbelt is touched.

Mr Javid said: “He (Mr Davies) makes a very important point.

“As we have made clear in the Housing White Paper we expect brownfield sites to always be the priority to meet our housing need and that is certainly what I expect to see from Bradford.”

Bradford Council is due to finally ratify its planning blueprint, the Local Plan Core Strategy, at a meeting today.

Last year the district’s 15-year housing plan was halted by Government after Mr Davies raised concerns over greenbelt.

The Core Strategy of Bradford’s Council Local plans had been ratified by planning but Mr Davies claims the Council were failing to meet its obligations to build on brownfield site and preserve greenfield.