Questions and answers on council’s Local Plan

Yorkshire to have a Local Plan it grew faster and further than any other area. The benefits can still be seen with the area having better infrastructure than Kirklees and more than 70 large employers, such as Coca Cola.

And let’s not forget the simple fact of a lack of housing.

The Local Plan will enable an acceleration in the availability of homes for ordinary people and the council has vowed to radically boost the amount of “extra care” social housing facilities for the over 50s who have care and support needs. In short, probably not. Once the consultation is done and the inspector’s happy the Labour group’s powerful Cabinet has said it will approve it before Christmas.

It must then be voted through by the full council in early 2019, but after last May’s elections Labour has a majority in the council chamber so it doesn’t need any help from anyone to get it passed. required was dictated by officials and politicians in Westminster.

Those numbers and sites have now been agreed by a government appointed planning inspector.

Kirklees Council does not have full control over if or where new roads, schools and doctors are created.

It was said at many of the Local Plan hearings into the larger housing sites that new roads, schools and doctors will be needed with plans to deliver them already drawn up.

But as ever, the reality of getting the money and the permission is partly reliant on other government ministries such as the Department for Transport, Education and Health.

Kirklees also has to bid for cash from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority which has its own pool of money to dish out. revealed.

The masterplans for both sites feature new schools, new community and health centres along with new sports facilities and open spaces.

Much of the cash for the new roads is reliant on the Local Plan developments being approved.

Whether the scrapping of the Cooper Bridge industrial park will threaten the adjacent road upgrades is to be seen. However, a new employment site, less than half-amile away at Mirfield Moor, has finally begun construction which could persuade road chiefs that the enhancements in that area are vital.

In Ravensthorpe, Clr Peter McBride says he is sure there will be huge investment in rail facilities which could see the area benefit from an all new station.

Elsewhere in Huddersfield and across Kirklees it is less likely that there will be improvements directly linked to the Local Plan.

However, the council is committed to upgrades of the A62 Leeds Road from the centre of Huddersfield all the way to Cooper Bridge and the A629 Halifax Road from Edgerton through to Ainley Top.

Doctors’ surgeries and dentists are a matter for the Clinical Commissioning Groups and NHS England. It is likely that extra capacity will be provided when it is necessary, depending on the NHS funding available.