COUNCILLORS backed a plan to build 800 new homes in Calderdale every year.

And they’ve predicted they will have to provide around 641 subsidised homes every year for five years to meet the number of people unable to afford to buy a house.

The Cabinet last night approved its Housing Strategy which sets out house building plans until 2017.

Cabinet Member for Economy and Environment, Clr Barry Collins, said: “It’s a very difficult time for the housing market.

“Public funding for housing is in retreat and private sector house building is the lowest it has been for some time.

“Despite this, the Housing Strategy demonstrates the great, innovative work the council and other organisations are doing to maintain a flow of new local housing and to make the best use of the homes we already have in Calderdale – for example, bringing empty homes back to life.”

Of the 641 affordable homes, 257 of them will be one-bed properties, 238 two-bed and 97 three-bed. A further 39 will be four-bed properties and seven houses with five or more bedrooms.

The report says that there is planning permission for 2,800 homes, which the authority admits that “for one reason or another some of these permissions may never be built”.

The authority predicts that by 2033 the number of households in the district is likely to have grown by 25,500 – 18% up on 2011.

They say 42% of housing demand will be for terraced properties, 22% for semi-detached, 18% for detached and 18% requiring apartments.

Work has already started on the construction of 172 new affordable homes in the borough.

They also want to improve efficiency of homes, making it cheaper for people to afford household bills.

The Safe and Warm project aims to improve safety and heat efficiency in 2,500 more homes by March 2014 and around 5,000 residents will benefit from lower energy costs through collective energy switches.

Improving accommodation for older people has been set as a priority – by 2030 Calderdale’s population will see a 55% increase in the number of people aged over 65.

The Housing Strategy outlines the council’s plan to open an additional 110 units of extra care accommodation by 2015.

The council’s Local Plan is due to be presented to the Planning Inspectorate to be examined, and that looks at where the homes will be built.

The Examiner revealed last year that Brighouse, which includes Rastrick, Hipperholme, Lightcliffe, Bailiff Bridge and Clifton, is expected to take around 20% of the housing requirement, which means an extra 2,100 dwellings – 45% will be met by land currently in the green belt.

Elland, which includes Greetland, Stainland, Holywell Green and West Vale, will take 10% of the housing requirement – around 1,050 dwellings – a fifth of those would be on current green belt land.

Clr Bob Metcalfe, Cabinet member for social care, said: “The last few years has seen a massive reduction in house building, more than any other sector, dare I say even more cuts that local government.

“There were just 37,000 affordable houses across the country, that’s a fifth of the target promises by ministers. The waiting list in Calderdale for social housing is 9,000, that’s families so there could be three or four times that”.