Demand for Calderdale house building scrutiny in midst of winter floods

One of the questions asked in Calderdale Council Climate Change Working Party’s public question time segment suggested there had to be a commitment to no further building on flood plains.

In the same week Calderdale Liberal Democrats launched a petition calling on Government to immediately reduce the requirements for new housing sites in areas that have recently and repeatedly been flooded, also urging both the area’s MPs, Conservative Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley) and Labour’s Holly Lynch (Halifax), to support the call.

Chairing the panel Coun Scott Patient (Lab, Luddenden Foot) said how Calderdale looked at new developments going forward was an important issue.

The draft Local Plan was being considered at the moment but in light of recent events it would be remiss of the council not to look at the situation.

But this would likely happen when proposals to build new homes came before planners, he said.

Coun James Baker (Lib Dem, Warley) said at the end of the first phase of hearings into the Local Plan last summer the Planning Inspector presiding over the examination had said the council could either revise economic growth figures downwards or find more housing sites.

The Labour Group took the decision to try and find more sites, he said.

“There is a problem in that we are in a flood zone but due to the National Planning Policy Framework and the council and Labour’s decisions we are going to give more of that allocation over to development rather than forest,” he said. “I am campaigning for Government to change those requirements.”

Coun Patient said issues of detail would be considered at the planning stage.

“What needs to be understood is that the Local Plan is a framework.

“They will eventually come through at planning and that’s where a decision will be made as to whether it is right or not.

“Sites like that are going to have to be taken into consideration.

“Some of them are on difficult sites, some not so much,” he said.