COUNCILLORS will vote on a controversial house-building plan today.

Members of Kirklees Council will debate the Local Development Framework (LDF) at Huddersfield Town Hall.

The blueprint could lead to 25,400 new homes in the district by 2028.

But last night it emerged that a last-minute legal problem will delay the plan by months.

Officers have decided not to send the council’s LDF proposal to Government immediately after today’s decision, as initially planned.

The plan will not now go to ministers until the former Labour government’s Regional Spatial Strategy is abolished in spring 2012.

The change means public consultation on the LDF will begin several months later than the original target date of January 2012.

Meanwhile, politicians clashed yesterday about whether the Government could step in if Kirklees sets a housing target which ministers consider too low.

Labour council leader Clr Mehboob Khan believes Kirklees has to set aside enough land to cope with the growing population.

“Every council’s plan is subject to scrutiny to ensure it meets with the Government’s requirements for housing and land for employment,” said the Greenhead councillor.

“An independent inspector will take evidence from residents and developers next year.

“The inspector could recommend that the council reconsider aspects of the plan if there was insufficient housing or employment land for the future.

“The most recent plan in our region, by Selby, has been sent back because the council didn’t put enough housing in there. We don’t want to waste public money.”

Clr Khan argued that if Kirklees didn’t produce a good enough plan, developers could win permission to build on green belt land.

“The worst case scenario is that, while the plan ping-pongs between the inspector and the council, the developers move into the green belt sites which we can’t protect because we don’t have a plan in place,” he said.

But Clr Robert Light, who leads the opposition Conservatives, said the new Localism Bill had stripped the Planning Inspectorate of the power to interfere.

“This argument is a complete white elephant,” said the Birstall and Birkenshaw councillor.

“The minister responsible has said in the House of Commons that they are stopping the powers of the Planning Inspectorate to rewrite local plans.

“As long as we can show community support for the plan then it will not be overturned.”

A leading campaigner last night backed up Clr Light.

Robert Bamforth is spokesman for Kirklees Community Action Network, an umbrella group which opposes the council’s LDF plan.

He said: “The Localism Bill abolishes the power of the Planning Inspectorate to rewrite local plans.

“We don’t need to be concerned about the possibility of the Planning Inspectorate increasing the housing figures.”

Clr Kath Pinnock, who leads the opposition Lib Dems, said the Localism Bill had reduced the inspectorate’s powers – but had not abolished them.

“In the Localism Bill the role of the Planning Inspectorate has changed, but it hasn’t changed entirely,’’ she said. “If the inspectorate was not able to do anything then why have an inspectorate?

“They can say to the council that we haven’t allocated enough land for employment and housing. That would allow developers to get the plan changed.

“Anyone who says that it’s all going to be down to local decision-making is not listening to what the Government is saying.”

Clr Andrew Cooper, who leads the four-strong Green group on Kirklees, said the Government still had the power to intervene.

The Newsome councillor said: “The Planning Inspectorate could over-rule the Kirklees plan. That’s the danger we’ve got – we’re not really in control of our own destiny.

“The Government is saying we have to make as much land available as possible for development.”

The Kirklees officers’ LDF proposal would allow 25,400 new homes in the district by 2028.

The four political parties have submitted their amendments – all of which call for fewer homes.

Controversial sites include the Grimescar Valley where officers would like to allow 500 new homes and five hectares of employment development on green belt land.

You can follow every minute of today’s debate on our liveblog at www.examiner.co.uk

Kirklees officers’ proposal:

Allow 25,400 new homes by 2028, including 1,500 houses on green belt land in south Dewsbury, 500 at Ainley Top and 500 at Chidswell between Dewsbury and Batley.

Release 144 hectares of land for employment, including 42 at Cooper Bridge, 35 at Chidswell, 16 each in Cleckheaton and Birstall; 15 at Clayton West, 10 between Honley and Brockholes and five each at Ainley Top and Meltham.

Labour’s proposal:

Allow 22,470 new homes, including 950 houses on green belt land in south Dewsbury.

Release 122 hectares of land for employment, including 42 at Cooper Bridge, 35 at Chidswell, 15 each at Clayton West and Birstall; 10 in Cleckheaton and five at Meltham.

The Conservatives’ proposal:

Allow 18,000 new homes, none of them on the green belt.

Release no new land for employment.

The Lib Dems’ proposal:

Allow 22,470 new homes, including 1,500 houses on green belt land in south Dewsbury and 500 at Chidswell.

Release 122 hectares of land for employment, including 42 at Cooper Bridge, 35 at Chidswell, 15 each at Clayton West and Birstall; 10 in Cleckheaton and five at Meltham.

The Greens’ and independents’ proposal:

Allow 16,200 new homes, none of them on the green belt.

Release 124 hectares of land for employment, including 42 at Cooper Bridge, 35 at Chidswell, 16 each at Cleckheaton and Birstall and 15 at Clayton West.

August 2007: Conservative Kirklees leader Clr Robert Light warned that the Labour Government’s house-building targets could lead to 40,000 new homes being built in the district.

February 2009: Kirklees launched a consultation on four development options for the period from 2011 to 2026. The Local Development Framework (LDF) included a target of 37,000 new homes.

June 2009: The Labour/Lib Dem coalition cabinet decided to shelve the LDF plan until after the General Election.

December 2010: Kirklees unveiled its new LDF blueprint which envisaged nearly 28,000 new homes in the district by 2028. House numbers were due to increase by more than a fifth in Kirkburton, Holmfirth, Skelmanthorpe, Slaithwaite, Denby Dale, Scissett and Clayton West, Linthwaite and Dewsbury.

January 2011: The council launched a six-week consultation on its plan.

November 2011: Officers unveiled their revised LDF proposal to allow 25,400 new homes in Kirklees by 2028. The council’s four political parties all pledged to block building on green belt land at Grimescar Valley – against the recommendation of Kirklees planners.

TODAY’S meeting about the LDF is expected to last at least 11 hours:

10.30am to 2.30pm: Members of the public give their views on the LDF. Each speaker will have five minutes to make their case

2.30pm to 3.30pm: Lunch

3.30pm to 4.30pm: Kirklees officers will present their LDF proposal and explain the legal context

4.30pm to 6pm: Each party will put forward their amendments to the council’s proposals

6pm to 6.30pm: Break

6.30pm to 9.30pm: Debate on the proposals followed by a vote

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