A TOP planning officer believes Huddersfield should be more like Wakefield to attract new jobs.

Jacqui Gedman thinks the Local Development Framework (LDF) will bring 35,000 new jobs to the area.

The blueprint allocates 140 hectares for industrial use, including 50 hectares at Cooper Bridge.

Kirklees Council’s assistant director for investment and regeneration said: “There have been very few jobs created in the private sector in Kirklees and in order to re-balance that we need to do something quite dramatic.

“There are a number of firms that can’t expand because they can’t find the land. There are other companies who would like to move to Kirklees but can’t find a site.”

Ms Gedman believes the council can learn from one of its neighbours.

“Wakefield Council allocated a lot of land for employment and created 11,000 private sector jobs at places like Junction 39,” she said.

“If you provide the land people will come – but the council also has to think about incentives.

“Huddersfield hasn’t got a big enough brand. When people come here they are amazed by the quality of the place. Maybe we under-sell ourselves a little bit.”

Ms Gedman added that nearly half of the 27,891 new homes envisaged by the LDF would be on land already marked for development.

She said: “There are 13,500 houses already in the pipeline – they have either got planning permission or they are on sites that have previously been allocated for housing.

“It’s not as dramatic as the headline figure suggests.”