ILKLEY and Wharfedale residents are being urged to have their say in key consultations on development blueprints that could result in more than 2,000 new houses being built in the valley.

Changes made to the initial draft Core Strategy of Bradford's Local Plan include a massive increase of 900 on previous housebuilding figures for Ilkley, Burley-in-Wharfedale and Menston, it has been revealed this week.

The Local Plan will eventually guide where houses, businesses and leisure and retail developments are built for the next ten to 20 years, and it will be used by the local authority when deciding on future planning applications.

And people are being urged to speak out before it's too late.

Councillor Anne Hawkesworth (Ind, Ilkley), says amendments to a habitat survey – which it is hoped would protect greenbelt land close to Rombalds Moor – do not comply with the spirit of the planning legislation involved.

She added: "It is madness.

"How this valley can cope with the numbers is beyond belief. As climatic changes occur, there will be more of the flooding occurrences we witnessed last week.

"I urge residents to take part in the consultation as there is a strong likelihood the council will be increasing the housing numbers because of 'ameliorating measures' they have taken. In other words, they have moved the goalposts."

And Cllr Jackie Whiteley (Con, Wharfedale) urged residents to share their concerns about lack of places in primary schools and Ilkley Grammar School if the new houses are built, together with fears about parking problems and the strain on rail services.

The central Core Strategy of the Local Plan was submitted to the Government almost a year ago and hearings followed in March, resulting in the current changes.

During the hearings, Bradford Council's housing requirement figures for prime 'green' land in Wharfedale came under attack from developers, resulting in officers revising figures.

But the consultation on the latest version of the Core Strategy, which opened this week, includes increased housing figures for the area.

The overall number of homes needed in Bradford district by 2030 remains the same at 42,100 under the latest draft, but some areas will have more homes allocated.

Fewer homes are now planned in Haworth and World Heritage Site Saltaire, following issues raised by Heritage England, but areas in Wharfedale and Airedale – due to debate about the effect on the protected habitat of the South Pennine Moors – have more housing under the revised plans.

Burley-in-Wharfedale's allocation has jumped from 200 to 700, while in Menston, the proposed number of houses jumped from 400 to 600.

The number of homes required in Ilkley under the strategy has grown from 800 to 1,000, and the new figure in Silsden is 1,200, also up by 200.

Consultation on the changes runs for eight weeks and is required before the Core Strategy can be formally adopted.

Bradford Council's planning and transport strategy manager, Andrew Marshall, said some areas needed to be reviewed, which resulted in a "slight redistribution" of where houses could be built.

Initial consultation on the final part of the Local Plan – the allocations development plan document, where sites are earmarked for different types of development – will begin in the next couple of months.

Documents highlighting the proposed changes to the Core Strategy together with the reasons for the changes will be available at main council offices and libraries in Bradford district.

They will also be available online at bradford.gov.uk/ldf with the consultation running until January 20.

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