Third phase of Calderdale Local Plan hearings begin from June 15

The third phase of hearings into Calderdale's draft Local Plan runs for three days from June 15

Sessions resume under Planning Inspector Katie Child’s stewardship on Tuesday, June 15, and people will be able to watch them as they are being livestreamed via the council’s YouTube channel.

The run up to this phase of the hearings has not been without controversy, particularly an Air Quality document submitted by the council to the plan document library which campaign groups concerned about the plan claim has been substantially changed.

The council does not accept that assertion and it is not on the agenda for the new hearings, but the authority has said further consultation on the issue will take place after the hearings close and ahead of a possible fourth phase of hearings in which it could be included.

Issues which are on the agenda include some discussion of housing supply and infrastructure provision, both of which have proved controversial.

For example, Richard Buxton Solicitors, legal representatives for one of the campaigning groups, Clifton Village Neighbourhood Forum, has written to Ms Child urging her to recommend the council withdraws the plan it current form, among its concerns being transport modelling which it argues are too out of date to underpin the plan.

Morning sessions for the new hearings will begin at 10am and afternoon sessions at 2pm.

On Tuesday, June 15, the morning session will concern the mixed use allocation of the former Crosslee factory site at Hipperholme, while the afternoon session will examine strategic road network interventions and transport and delivery issues related to the Garden Suburb sites at Woodhouse and Thornhills, both at Brighouse.

On Wednesday, June 16, the morning session will consider housing supply – including the number of years’ supply and justification, issues which have been controversial, and in the afternoon session, school provision, particularly at Brighouse, north Halifax, Lightcliffe, Shelf, Elland and Greetland will be considered.

On Thursday, June 17, the morning session will consider affordable housing on “exception” sites – impacting rural sites – including seeking justification for excluding eastern “non-parished” areas of Calderdale, with the afternoon session set aside as a reserve session if it is needed.