Council's Local Plan 'based on out-of-date figures'

Liberal Democrat councillor Alison Munro (Almondbury) says the plan to build more than 30,000 houses across the borough is based on out-of-date figures.

She claims the council is needlessly sacrificing green belt land – including Bradley Park Golf Course – for houses that it does not require.

Population projections dating back to 2014 have been superseded by new figures that, she says, indicate fewer homes will be needed for less people.

She argues that the new data undermines the council’s stance that it must build on green belt to fulfil its housing needs.

An order from the government, the Local Plan includes 31,000 homes, many of which will have to be built within the green belt, as there is insufficient non-green belt land in the borough.

The planning blueprint was formally approved by Planning Inspector Katie Child who said that, with modifications, there was an appropriate balance between providing land for new development and protecting important open spaces and heritage.

An Extraordinary Council meeting tomorrow evening at Huddersfield Town Hall will consider the 1,000-page plan. It is expected to be adopted by council, which has a Labour majority.

Clr Munro said Office of National Statistics (ONS)  projections were “at the very heart” of the Local Plan, which focused on the growth of population and households from 2013 to 2031.

But crucially the Local Plan was based in ONS data from 2014, which projected growth by 47,800 people and 27,300 households.

To get an “objective” assessment of need totalling 31,340 houses she said the council had “added a few households” but that it was “very clear” that the final number had been based on the ONS projection.

“But late last year, new 2016 ONS data came out. This projects 15,000 less

people and 10,600 less households than the 2014 data.

“The Planning Inspector gave the council the chance to change the Plan to take account of this, but they turned it down.

“The 10,600 households that are no longer needed is very close to the 11,500

that are projected to be built on green belt sites.

“There is no need to build on Bradley Golf Course, no need to build on the huge site between Thornhill and Ravensthorpe and no need to build nearly 1,000 houses on green belt in Lepton and Fenay Bridge.”

Senior Labour councillor Graham Turner (Denby Dale) said he could not comment on the ONS figures.

But he countered: “It’s taken 10 years to get to this stage. We have to draw a line under it.

“The Planning Inspector has found the Local Plan sound and legally compliant.

“For me, that means we have to agree it.

“If we do not comply we run the risk of government intervention.

“We need to get a plan through that will put us in pole position in West Yorkshire to drive economic growth. Nobody is as advanced as we [Kirklees] are.”

A Kirklees Council spokesperson said: “These figures are not out of date and are the most appropriate for us to use.

“The Kirklees Local Plan is based on 2014-based household projections which were issued by the Government in 2016.  Our use of these figures is consistent with guidance published last week by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

“Whilst a further set of household projections were published in 2016, Government guidance states that these figures do not give an appropriate basis for identifying housing our need.”