These are the Calderdale sites earmarked for new homes to meet Government's housing quota

In a nutshell, the council will be looking to provide space for 997 new homes each year for ten years – 9,970 in total – before re-assessing how many more might be needed over the remaining five years of the plan, to 2032-33.

Initially, the Local Plan was allowing for 870 new homes to be built in each of the full 15 years – a total of 12,600.

But when Planning Inspector Katie Child wrote to the council after the first phase of hearings into the plan with one major concern, that the authority’s planned economic growth did not square with the number of new homes needed to house some of the expected new workers, planning officers’ advice to councillors was that more space for housing had to be found if it is to be approved.

Ms Child is charged by the Government, which has ordered all councils produce a Local Plan, with approving or rejecting it.

If she does not approve it, Government will take the process out of the council’s hands and impose a plan on Calderdale.

The final document will shape where new homes and businesses might be established in the years to come.

Calculations, which take in Calderdale’s close links with wider Leeds City Region and West Yorkshire Combined Authority economic goals, estimate more than 10,000 new jobs will be created over that period meaning the council would need to find space for 15,600 homes by 2032-33, or 1,040 a year for the 15 years, under the new preferred option.

The council’s Cabinet decision last week to choose an amended version of that option will reduce the number of new sites being added to the plan, particularly those in Calderdale’s green belt.

It has allowed for a higher density of development of sites already identified, squeezing more homes onto them to keep the number of extra new sites to a minimum.

Some sites which were identified for business use have been re-allocated as mixed use, meaning homes might be built there.

And by pausing at ten years to reassess more accurately how many more will be needed in the last five years of the plan more sites have been removed.

Phase two of hearings into the Local Plan, which will include scrutiny of individual sites, will resume at the end of this year or early next year.

Six weeks of consultation are now under way over sites that have been added to the plan as a result, with the additions and estimated homes numbers, as follows.

Additional mixed use sites

Brighouse: land adjacent to Mill Royd Street (200 homes).

Cragg Vale: land at Top Land (50).

Todmorden: land off Halifax Road, believed to be Rose Street (38).

Additional new housing sites:

Greetland: The Gate Farm, Saddleworth Road (67); land adjacent to Ellistones Place, Saddleworth Road (200); land at New Gate Farm, Saddleworth Road (246); and land to the west of Silverdale Terrace (30).

Elland: Land adjacent to Exley Lane, north of Elland (450); and land at Ainley Top, south west of the A643/New Hey Road (48).

Halifax: Land at Maltings Road, Wheatley (30); land off Park Lane, Siddal (38); Wood Lane, off Ovenden Road, Wheatley (109); land adjacent to the Wells, Stock Lane, Highroad Well (16).

Luddenden/Luddenden Foot: Land at Greave House Field (44), Kershaw Drive (47).

Northowram and Shelf: Land off Hall Lane (120); land off Soaper Lane (58); land at 30 Burned Road (27), land north of Shelf Cricket Ground, Carr House Lane (27); land off Burned Road (31); Hud Hill Farm (45); land at Westercroft Lane (51).

Ripponden: Barkisland Cross, Jackson Lane, Barkisland (24).

The council’s choice has meant the following sites, which were in the preferred option for increases, have now been removed from that list.

Omission sites

Brighouse: Land at 164 Huddersfield Road, and Toothill Lane, Rastrick (10); land off Brookfoot Lane (18).

Elland: Land off Blackley Road, Blackley (80); land off Hammerstone Leach lane, Blackley (169).

Halifax: White House, Walt Road, Wheatley (42); White House, 12 Walt Royd, Wheatley (28); land adjacent to Moor End Road and Clough Lane, Mixenden (52); and land at Ovenden Wood Road (114).

Northowram and Shelf: Land adjacent to 44 Northowram Green (29); 18, Yarborough Croft (13); land at Score Hill (20); and land at rear of Glenden, Halifax Road (27).

It is possible they may be considered again after the ten year “pause” depending on housing need over the next five years of the plan.