Under pressure to build future faster

MAJOR PLANS AWAITING DECISION AS COUNCIL FIGHTS TO HIT HOMES TARGET

- By ABIGAIL MARLOW

SEVERAL major planning applications are awaiting a decision as Kirklees needs more houses.

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

Kirklees has fallen short of this requirement, having enough for 3.96 years as of 2023.

On top of this, the council has failed the ‘Housing Delivery Test’ for the past three years, meaning that less than 75 per cent of homes needed in the area have been delivered.

Both of these factors mean that the local authority has to apply the ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ when determining planning applications.

As a result, proposed developments will be given planning permission unless the negatives “significantly and demonstrably” outweigh the benefits.

Below are three of the largest planning applications with a decision that is currently outstanding:

110-home plan for Huddersfield village sparks fears for ‘destruction’

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) recently reported that Shepley residents have been left fearing for their local area as a plot of land at Eastfield has been earmarked for up to 110 homes.