Only 290 new homes were built in Kirklees last year as house building slumped to its lowest recorded level this century.

The 290 new homes in 2015/16 was a 19% drop on the 360 that builders completed in Kirklees the year before.

And it comes as Kirklees Council finalises its planning blueprint for the next few years, which is set to call for up to 29,000 new homes in the area.

Some 2,000 of those could be built on what is currently Bradley Park Golf Course in a controversial move.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Experts say the drop in new homes is bad news for anyone looking to buy their first home in and around Huddersfield because it will restrict the supply, potentially pushing up house prices.

In years gone by Kirklees has seen 800 or even 1,000 new homes completed in a single year.

Some 800 new homes went up around the borough as recently as 2011/12, while back in 2000/01 some 1,040 new homes were built.

Bradley Park Golf Course.

However, next year’s figures could be more promising for those looking to get on the housing market in Huddersfield.

A total of 450 homes were started in Kirklees in 2015/16.

READ MORE:

Vast swathes of undeveloped land in Kirklees have been included in the Local Plan, the council’s vision for development until 2031.

But planning officials have also revealed they ruled out about 800 sites put forward by landowners as they deemed them too valuable to lose or unsuitable for development.

The Local Plan blueprint has identified about 200 sites that the council thinks would be suitable for homes or business.