This is how many people have had their say on vital Local Plan draft

More than 140 responses to Calderdale’s draft Local Plan have now been registered with the Council as the representation period enters its final days.

The ambitious draft Local Plan identifies development areas for economic growth, and sites for around 9,500 new homes, over the next 15 years.

READ: Calderdale’s Tories vow fight against Local Plan will go onCalderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Environment, Councillor Daniel Sutherland said: “The representation period is a technical and legal consultation, so it’s different to the previous public consultations on the draft Local Plan because people are only able to comment on three very specific aspects.

“They need to tell us if they think the draft Local Plan is compliant with current legislation; if the plans are ‘sound’ and if they comply with the Duty to Co-operate.

“To help people make a representation we’ve created a short film which provides full instructions and guidance. You can find this on the Local Plan page of our website.”

READ: ‘People need homes’, Calderdale Local Plan counter-demonstrators argueThe final draft of the Local Plan was published on the Council’s website on August 10 2018, marking the start of a six week period during which members of the public, businesses and other organisations may make formal representations on the proposals.

The representation period will close at 5pm on September 24 2018.

Once the representation period closes, the Council will not be able to amend the draft Local Plan after reviewing the representations made, but they will be included with the draft Local Plan when it is submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for Examination by an independent Planning Inspector.

READ: Tories urge public to have their say on final draft of Calderdale Council’s Local PlanThe draft Local Plan has already been through two full public consultations, in 2015/16 and again in 2017, which has influenced the proposals as they have developed.

The most recent consultation resulted in over 8,000 individual comments from local people across the borough. These have all been carefully analysed and considered by the Council before the final draft of the Local Plan was prepared.

The Council is following a timetable for publication which was agreed with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which will see the draft Local Plan, including the representations from the public, submitted in December 2018.

Calderdale’s Local Plan will then be examined in detail by an independent Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State. The examination could last around nine months.

Adoption of the plan by Calderdale Council, following receipt of the Inspector’s Report, is expected to be confirmed by the end of 2019.