Planning: Councillors agree more affordable housing is needed in Calderdale

They agreed to adopt supplementary planning documents (SPDs) on affordable housing and placemaking, which will operate alongside the recently approved Local Plan, shaping where homes are likely to be built into the 2030s.

Opposition councillors were uncertain some of the details, including “zoning” – areas where developers will be expected to include a higher percentage of homes classed as “affordable” in their developments – will see affordable homes built where they are most needed.

Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot), Cabinet member for Climate Action and Housing, said the growing suite of SPDs showed the council was committed to developing good guidance.

“We want to make sure while we are delivering new homes, which we need to do at pace, that a great proportion of them are affordable, so that people living in Calderdale are able to access new housing,” he said.

But Coun Felicity Issott (Con, Ryburn) questioned whether it would deliver affordable homes where they were needed and described it as “upside down”.

“I’m strongly in favour of affordable housing – affordable housing in the right place.

“The SPD appears to be based significantly on market zones, sellability and developers,” she said.

Coun Issott argued areas which showed the greatest demand for social housing would see lower proportions of affordable homes, according to the guidance, with higher proportions in areas where social housing demand was lower.

It could mean bigger numbers of affordable homes not being built near where higher numbers of people would want to live, near their family and friends, she said.

Coun Martin Hey (Green, Northowram and Shelf) said what was in the paper and the intentions of large developers were not the same thing.

“We’ll be expecting the council, and the Planning Committee, to stand their ground to ensure the commitments in this SPD are met,” he said.

Coun Paul Bellenger (Lib Dem, Greetland and Stainland), said the council needed to look at retirement villages to cater for older residents’ needs, freeing up existing affordable homes without as much need to build new ones.

However, Coun Tim Swift (Lab, Town) said if you only built affordable homes it drove prices up as they were the only ones being built.

Affordable housing was not just about social housing but affordable homes to buy and privately rent, he said.

“This is why we need new housing development across Calderdale for all parts of the market,” said Coun Swift.

There were people living in affordable properties who wanted to move into larger homes but they were not there, he argued.

Coun Patient agreed: “We need a whole mix,” he said.