Calderdale Housing Campaign

What is Calderdale Council's policy towards the provision of affordable housing?

This is set out in the Unitary Development Plan, available on the Council website.  The contextual text is in paragraphs 2.2.32-35, and there are two policies:

"Policy H13

The Council will take all appropriate steps to bring about the development of affordable housing on suitable land within its ownership.

Policy H14

The Council will negotiate and encourage the inclusion of affordable housing within private development schemes on sites in policy H9 and other proposed housing schemes where:-

(i) the development is for 40 or more dwellings or the site is 1.5 hectares or more (except in settlements of 3000 or fewer where this policy shall apply to developments of 25 or more dwellings or to sites of 1 or more hectares); and

(ii) the site is close to local services and facilities; and

(iii) there is access to public transport; and

(iv) the site is suitable in terms of market conditions.

In considering planning applications which include proposals for affordable housing the Council will seek to ensure that:-

... (ii) the affordable housing is provided to cater for the housing need in the district, as defined by the Council and set out in the annual Housing Strategy Statement. ... "

These policies are subject to change in the revised UDP, which should be available in 2006.

The question is: are these policies sufficiently precise and prescriptive to ensure that enough affordable housing is actually provided, either by the public or private sectors; and how much affordable housing have they actually delivered?

The Council has reported that, in 2002-3, 88 affordable housing units were completed; and in 2003-4 14 units were completed.

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What you can do?

Launch press release

News from planning battles

The fight for the Furtex Mill site

Objectives of the Campaign

Join our discussion group

Statement by Chris McCafferty

How to respond to a housing planning application

Calderdale Council and affordable housing

Can we make new houses more sustainable?

How many new dwellings are the Council required to provide?

STOP PRESS

15th July: Council refuses huge Crow Nest, Hebden Bridge planning application

New Council housing strategy 2005-10 and affordability housing policy report