Calderdale's countryside carve up

Plans to build on greenbelt. Land between Moor End Road, Hebble Vale Drive and Larch Close, Wheatley, Halifax

The current Green belt boundaries in Calderdale were put in place by the former West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council during the 1980s and are included in the Council’s Unitary Development Plan.

Calderdale Council has completed a review of the green belt across Calderdale, as part of the development of the Local Plan.

The Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and the Environment, Councillor Daniel Sutherland said: “We live in a beautiful part of the world, with pretty rural towns surrounded by stunning countryside and we need to carefully balance this against our need for more homes and local businesses.

“We are required by the Government to review our green belt and have undertaken a professional assessment of how it currently contributes to the purposes set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

“We have a responsibility to make sure that we can build the homes we need for local people, in the places where they want to live, but not at the expense of our scenery and heritage.”

Liberal Democrat councillors in Calderdale Council have grave concerns about the loss of “valuable Greenbelt”.

Leader of the group Coun James Baker said: “We have been pushing to get the details of these sites published and we are campaigning to try and protect as much greenbelt as possible in Calderdale.

“We are arguing for higher density housing on brownfield sites and for the Government to enact the garden cities plan to meet our housing needs.”

A further public consultation on the Local Plan for Calderdale and a public inquiry will take place later in 2016.

Calderdale Conservative group leader Coun Scott Benton said: “It is vitally important that our local green belt remains in place to safeguard against urban sprawl and to provide a ‘green lung’ around our towns and villages.

“Our beautiful countryside is valued by all and whilst we support the development of homes and sites for industry which will ensure that our local economy continues to grow, a balance needs to be achieved which preserves our local environment.”