Kirklees Council unveils plan for tens of thousands of new homes - will they be building near you?

Nov 29 2010 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Local Government Reporter BARRY GIBSON looks at major new housing proposals being announced tomorrow

COUNCIL officers have drawn up plans for nearly 28,000 new homes across Kirklees.

And it means many of the villages around Huddersfield will see a massive increase in size.

Kirklees Council will unveil its Local Development Framework (LDF) tomorrow.

Officers hope the proposal will help the district cope with the expected population growth in the next 20 years.

Some villages would increase in size by half as much again if the LDF proposals go ahead.

Kirkburton is due to increase from 1,600 homes in 2006 to 2,289 by 2028, a rise of 43.1%.

Farnley Tyas, which had 100 homes in 2006, will have to accommodate 45 more by 2028.

Increases of more than 20% are also planned for Linthwaite, Scissett and Clayton West; Denby Dale, Skelmanthorpe, Holmfirth and Dewsbury.

Housing in Huddersfield – which includes Golcar and Milnsbridge – is due to rise by 16.9% from 63,050 homes to 73,779 by 2028.

Overall the number of houses in Kirklees would rise by 27,891 from 162,000 in 2006 to 189,891 by 2028.

However, only 3,600 of these new homes would be built on green belt land.

Housing expert Dr John Anchor believes Kirklees will struggle to meet its target.

The University of Huddersfield lecturer said: “An increase of 17% is substantial and will be difficult to achieve.

“Finding that amount of brownfield land will be quite an ask and I have my doubts about whether it can be done.”

Dr Anchor added that all councils had to cope with an ever-growing demand for new housing.

He said: “The population is growing and the number of households is growing because people are living longer and more people are living alone.

“All these things lead to pressure for more housing. That’s why there hasn’t been a bigger drop in house prices.

“In the Republic of Ireland house prices have collapsed, they’re down by 50% in some new-build developments.”

Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney believes brownfield land should be developed before greenfield.