Interest in Kirklees Council’s Local Plan has been immense.
The council has confirmed that about 17,000 comments were lodged in relation to its 15-year planning blueprint.
The plan has mapped out about 200 sites across the borough for new housing and industry.
About 29,000 new homes must be built by 2030 and new plots for factories and shops found.
The council says its proposals are vital to the future economy of the region, bringing in more business rates and jobs.
But objectors have raised concerns about the loss of green space in some areas.
The most controversial plan is for 2,000 houses on what is currently Bradley Park Golf Course.
Fears have also been aired over thousands more homes on green belt at Ravensthorpe and Dewsbury.
The public consultation ended on February 1 and council officials are currently sifting through the thousands of comments that were submitted.
Kirklees Council Local Plan
Decisions on whether to keep or reject the proposed sites will be made and some sites that were initially rejected could also re-appear following lobbying from land owners.
A final draft will be published later in the year which will also be open to comments from the public.
That will be reviewed by the council again before being submitted to the government.
If agreed, it could be formally adopted in 2018.
More than two months on from the end of the consultation the Examiner asked Kirklees Council for an update on the Local Plan work.
Q) What is the process for analysing everyone’s comments and what was the final total?
A) Officers will assess the comments received and take them into account before preparing recommended changes to the Local Plan. Any changes will be presented to councillors for approval. Approximately 17,000 comments have been received, these include both comments supporting and objecting to parts of the plan, and one individual/group may have commented numerous times.
Q) Will every individual who passed comment receive a personal response from the council?
A) All individuals who have made comments on the plan have been sent an acknowledgement from the council. Given the volume of responses received it will not be possible to provide detailed feedback to all individuals but the council will produce a statement of consultation confirming the issues raised by comments received and the council’s response.
Q) How will the council decide which sites they intend to put forward to the second draft? Is this to be agreed by planning officers or councillors - in other words who ultimately is responsible for making these key decisions on behalf of the public?
A) The council’s cabinet will take any decisions required.
Q) Has a date for the next consultation been agreed and how long will it be?
A) No date or time period has been agreed at this point in time.
Q) After the second consultation are there any other procedures in place for people to object before it goes to the Secretary of State?
A) Consultation on the ‘publication’ version of the Local Plan provides a final opportunity for comments to be made to the council before the plan would be submitted to the Secretary of State, however, modifications may be made to the plan during the Secretary of State’s examination into the plan which may need to be advertised for comments.
Q) At what point would infra-structure capacities such as roads, schools, doctors be proposed/increased following the acceptance of the Local Plan? Immediately or only on the basis of planning permissions being approved?
A) The council and other delivery bodies are already planning for infrastructure improvements to the district’s roads and schools to complement the Local Plan proposals. Some types of infrastructure, such as doctors surgeries, are outside the council’s control to provide as they are private businesses but the council is working closely with other delivery agencies and governing organisations to align the plan with their own investment programmes.
