KEIGHLEY MP Robbie Moore has hit out at Bradford Council for including plans to build hundreds of homes on Green Belt land in his constituency in its Local Plan.

Robbie Moore, who has held the seat for the Conservatives since December 2019, is asking Bradford residents to object to the Council's Local Plan to cut the number of homes allocated for green areas.

Mr Moore has said he isn't anti-house building, but wants it to focus on building on brownfield sites as opposed to the Green Belt.

He also raised concerns about the pressure it would put on roads and infrastructure, however it could be argued that anywhere new houses are built -brownfield or Green Belt - will add traffic to roads and demand for school, GP and dentist places.

In the local plan, around 2,500 homes have been allocated to the Keighley constituency, out of a total of 30,672 homes across the district by 2038, including 8,000 affordable homes and the creation of 29,000 jobs. The number of Green Belt allocations has also dropped in the plans compared to earlier draft proposals.

Robbie Moore said: "Labour-run Bradford Council has recently announced plans to build thousands of new houses - destroying our precious green open spaces, and putting more pressure on our infrastructure.

"This isn’t about saying no to housebuilding. I will continue to support community-led, sustainable development on brownfield land. But I will not support new houses on greenbelt [sic].

"Unbelievably, Bradford Council’s consultation only runs until March 24, and is taking place online only. I have told Bradford to extend the consultation, but so far they won’t change their approach.

"That is why we must all take action now to send a loud and clear message that we don’t want our green open spaces to be destroyed with thousands of new houses.

"Over the coming weeks, let’s all work together and send a clear message to Bradford Council that we want to say no to their housing plans and protect our green spaces."

When the plans were presented last month Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, executive member for planning and regeneration, said the Local Plan "sets out the proposals for the growth and sustainability of the district over the next 15 to 20 years."

Cllr Sarah Ferriby, executive member for Healthy People and Places, added that sustainable development and climate action are two of the Council's "key priorities".

Bradford Conservative councillors raised issues about Green Belt land being built on, while Lib Dems said a focus needs to be on providing good quality housing.

One criticism of Green Belt designation is that it limits the ability to build new houses, causing prices to increase.

Robbie Moore has urged people to visit his website to find out how many houses are planned for their area, and to find useful links to contribute to the Local Plan consultation.