Calderdale Local Plan: Where Calderdale Council plans to use cash to unlock land to build new houses

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority Housing Accumulator Fund cash will be used for feasibility work on council-owned Local Plan sites in the borough, and also reviewing non-allocated brownfield sites.

Reporting to councillors, cabinet member for Climate Action and Housing, Coun Scott Patient, said the work would inform the council’s disposal strategy for each site.

Sites include Kershaw Drive at Luddenden Foot, Keighley Road in Halifax and Cemetery Lane in Sowerby Bridge.

Work would take in masterplanning to confirm the capacity of the site (at Kershaw Drive), evaluation of different development scenarios (Keighley Road) and marketing and disposal advice (at Cemetery Lane), he said.

Coun Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said the feasibility work will also inform the council’s disposal strategy for each site.

He said cash from the fund is also funding consultants to review a list of non-allocated brownfield sites in or near town centres.

Brownfield sites are ones which have seen previous development, often industrial, in the past which can present extra problems and costs to developers, although many local authorities like to see new homes built on such sites, rather than on “greenfield” sites.

Coun Patient said the consultants will advise on the deliverability of the sites with the aim of producing a prospectus of those close to town centres.

An aim is encouraging the re-development of “gap” sites.

These are currently being under-utilised and, or, have a negative impact on the street scene, he said.

The work is being undertaken in conjunction with the council’s spatial planning team, said Coun Patient.

The council was also aiming to strengthen its relationships with registered providers of housing to better understand their need, making available one-to-one meetings with them, said Coun Patient.

In particular, a topic of discussion was how the council can support registered providers overcome barriers they face in delivering affordable homes secured from development through legal agreements.

Topics discussed include the type, tenure and location preferences of the registered provider as well as increasing the council’s understanding of site viability and any funding challenges.