Analysis reveals Calderdale is failing to meet housing targets

READ: Building thousands of homes on Green Belt will not ease affordable housing crisis, countryside charity warnsThe council’s Strategy and Performance Scrutiny Board were given figures for the number of new homes completed as a percentage of the total number of dwellings in Calderdale to the end of 2016-17.

These showed a fluctuating performance of between 0.2 and 0.3 per cent against a Government expectation of 0.4 per cent.

But figures are not yet available for 2017-18 and gross completions over the last four years indicate a gradual but very slow increase in the delivery of new homes.

Data for the Super Key Performance Indicator, which allows 20 northern boroughs to be measured against each other as well as national statistics, is net however, and that indicates the borough is not delivering enough new net additions to the housing stock.

READ: Work begins on new housing development in CalderdaleThat places Calderdale only 17th out of 20 – a drop of ten places – but it is expected the situation will improve in the future when new measures are fully in place.

Board members heard Calderdale lacks deliverable housing sites and a key action to deliver more of these would be an up-to-date Local Plan which identifies them.

READ: Green light for Calderdale’s Local PlanThe council published its Local Plan which is still at a stage where representations can be made until 5pm on Monday, September 24, before it goes for consideration by the Planning Inspectorate.

It will then be examined in detail by an independent Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State.

This could take around nine months and adoption of the plan by the council, following receipt of the Inspector’s Report, is not expected to be confirmed until the end of 2019.

The council is also moving its plans for a Local Development Company forward with on-site work on its first scheme set to start in 2019-20.

Also under way is development of 500 new homes in partnership with Together Housing over the next five to seven years, with a start being made on a site at Beech Hill, Halifax.

Some Public Estate funded work is under way and work is being done to bring forward development at smaller council-owned sites for development by small and medium sized businesses (SMEs).

The council needs to keep moving the Local Plan and Local Development Company forward apace, says the report, as well as continuing to reduce the number of empty dwellings.

It should also continue to develop productive relationships with house builders and registered providers.