After almost a decade of hard work, two community-led neighbourhood plans have come into force in Ilkley and Oxenhope.

In June, Bradford Council formally adopted the neighbourhood development plans which will now guide local growth and development in the areas.

The confirmation follows nine years of hard work and dedication by local residents, councillors and the council’s planning officers.

Work began on the neighbourhood development plans in 2013 for Ilkley and 2014 for Oxenhope.

The plans went through a number of stages required by government including community consultation, engagement and independent examination to ensure they met the government’s planning conditions and legal requirements.

In referendums held in May the Ilkley plan received 82.7 per cent of the vote, whilst the Oxenhope plan achieved 82.3 per cent of all votes.

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The plans will now form part of Bradford Council’s planning policy and will guide planning officers and committees in reaching local decisions.

Developers will use the documents to guide their planning proposals.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “These Neighbourhood Development Plans represent a significant step forward in local democracy and will assist planning committees to make decisions which reflect people’s views on how their local areas should be developed and protected.”

The plans can be viewed at www.bradford.gov.uk/planning