Local Plan: Bid for new planning guidance to guarantee new Calderdale housing developments have enough sport and recreation space
New planning guidance to ensure new housing developments in Calderdale have enough open space and land for sport and recreation is in the works.
When they meet on Monday, Calderdale Council cabinet members are being asked to begin a four-week consultation on the latest supplementary planning document.
It is the most recent of a number of documents which add detail to the Local Plan, which was approved two years ago and shapes where new homes might be built in the borough into the 2030s.
The Local Plan sets out how much open space and facilities for sport and recreation is needed in new housing developments with the draft Open Space, Sport and Recreation Supplementary Planning Document adding more detail.
It offers practical advice to developers and the public for development sites, helping to ensure they meet the Local Plan requirements, says the council.
The consultation will also propose a new preferred approach for the long-term management of public open space and community assets in new residential developments if senior councillors agree.
The final document will be used as a reference point for decisions on planning applications.
High-quality open spaces and facilities for sport and recreation are required by the Local Plan because by enabling exercise and other pastimes to take place, they help boost people’s health, wellbeing and quality of life, says the council.
They also improve how places look and the quality of the environment, supporting nature, climate action, the local economy and new investment, councillors are told.
Cabinet member for Climate Action and Housing, Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot), said these are important parts of the vision for Calderdale.
“Our Local Plan helps us protect these spaces for people now and in the future, said Coun Patient.
“The open space supplementary planning document gives assurance that the council and developers are doing all we can to ensure new housing developments give residents the spaces they need for their health and wellbeing.”
Other items which the council’s cabinet will discuss on Monday include an annual report on complaints and compliments the council received in 2024-25, and outcomes of these.