UNPOPULAR HOUSING BLOCKS

SEVERAL unpopular planning applications are awaiting a decision in Kirklees while the council is under pressure to get homes built.

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How the house off Gynn Lane could look

Across the borough, there are many planning applications that residents would like to see taken off the table. From concerns around highways and parking, to fears for the environment and the character of an area, there can be a wide range of reasons people choose to lodge objections on development proposals.

Kirklees Council aims to deliver 1,730 homes each year from now until 2031, but extra pressure is on to get more homes built for several reasons.

For one, national policy says that local authorities must have enough land suitable for accommodating five years’ worth of housing growth to meet local needs. For the first time since Kirklees’ Local Plan was adopted in 2019, the figure has dropped below this, with Kirklees having a housing land supply of 3.96 years as of 2023.

In addition, for the last three years the council has failed the ‘Housing Delivery Test’ - delivering less than 75 per cent of homes needed in the area. Both of these factors mean that the local authority has to apply the ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ when determining planning applications.

This means that proposed developments should be given planning permission unless the negatives “significantly and demonstrably” outweigh the benefits.

Below are five of the most recent, controversial planning applications awaiting a decision from Kirklees Council.

This unpopular application has been rumbling on for some time and forms part of much larger plans to bring around 1,500 homes to two sites - Chidswell and Heybeck - near Dewsbury.

Outline planning permission was initially granted for the smaller Heybeck site last October, and was met with major opposition from locals who formed the Chidswell Action Group (CAG).