Blueprint to build thousands of homes in Calderdale put on hold

The second phase of hearings into Calderdale Council’s Local Plan have been put on hold during the coronavirus crisis.
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Following completion of phase one of the hearings last year, correspondence between Planning Inspector Katie Child, who is in charge of the examination and the council’s resulting inclusion of extra sites in the plan, the second phase was due to be held in June-July and September this year.

The second phase of hearings will examine individual sites on which representations have been made – but it is unlikely to happen soon.

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The Planning Inspectorate has now issued a guidance note which follows on from the Governments COVID 19 guidance advising on social distancing measures.

Calderdale's Local PlanCalderdale's Local Plan
Calderdale's Local Plan

In implementing this advice, the Inspectorate has sought to consider the welfare of both their staff and customers, it says.

Guidance has now been updated to confirm that Local Plan hearings cannot currently take place and it is difficult to be certain when they are likely to resume, says the council, with the likelihood this situation will last for at least several months.

The council’s information on its website goes on: “For now, the council and the Inspector will, where possible, progress on that basis but keep the situation under close review, and the Programme Officer will continue to provide updates as they become available as the situation evolves.”

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Latest information links and details of how to contact the council’s Programme Officer Miny Schofield are also available on the Local Plan section of the council’s website.

The Local Plan will identify sites where new homes and businesses might be built into the 2030s.

The council late last year submitted proposals for a ten, rather than 15, year format with new home numbers needed reviewed after ten years.

This would mean the council building 9,970 homes over a decade, when the position would be reassessed to see more accurately how many new homes, if any, might still be needed.

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The Inspector has been appointed by the Secretary of State to oversee the hearings and will determine whether or not the plan is acceptable.

All councils have been undergoing the progress over the last few years.