The first stage of public consultation into the new Kirklees Local Plan is now open and will run until February 28 2025.

The Local Plan is Kirklees Council’s 15-year planning blueprint which allocates land for housing, employment and development.

The first stage of the consultation asks people to give their views on what they would like to see in the Local Plan.

A Local Plan sets out how the council will manage all kinds of development. By law, all local councils must adopt a Local Plan, which sets out how much and where land can be developed to meet the needs of local people and businesses.

When the Kirklees Local Plan was first adopted in 2019, Kirklees Council committed to reviewing the plan within five years, to ensure it was still fit for purpose.

The following years saw the council declare a Climate Emergency and there was the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, soaring inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.

The council has failed to meet its targets for new homes with some sites delivering fewer homes than the council expected. As a result the council decided to carry out a full update of the Local Plan.

Clr Graham Turner, Cabinet member for finance and regeneration, said: “This new Local Plan will set out a planning framework until 2043, with its impact felt for generations to come, so it’s important to make sure that we get it right.

“This early engagement will help us consider how we can best support the health and well-being of our residents, support our local economy to be sustainable and resilient, and how we can effectively deliver our housing needs while meeting our climate goals.

“There are many challenges ahead, including how we can deliver the required number of new homes, and plan for jobs in a sustainable way whilst ensuring that we protect and enhance the qualities at the heart of Kirklees’ character.

“Once complete, this plan will bring huge benefits for everyone who lives and works in Kirklees. We’ll be engaging with the public every step of the way on this because what we’re working for is the future of our district.

“Given the importance of the Local Plan and its impact on everyone I would urge people to get involved. We really do want this plan to be a people’s plan and that can only happen if people engage with the process over the coming years.”

Potential changes in national planning policy anticipate that the numbers of new homes required in the future will be higher than the housing requirement of 1,730 new homes per year which is set out in the current Local Plan. This is based on the Government’s commitment to get Britain building again.

In addition to the housing and employment opportunities outlined in the Local Plan, other considerations are that it must consider community needs and promote healthy, safe communities including provision for social, recreational and cultural facilities as well as the promotion of sustainable transport.

Residents and local businesses can comment throughout the three-month consultation. The comments, alongside updated evidence on Kirklees issues, will inform draft policies and options for the location of development.

There will be a first opportunity to consider these through further early engagement before the council issues a draft of the new Local Plan for consultation later in 2025, with a complete draft of the Local Plan ready for a final consultation in 2026, before it is submitted to the Government for examination.

For more details and to provide feedback, please visit the Local Plan webpage https://www.kirklees.gov.uk/beta/planning-policy/local-plan.aspx.

Image by: Huddersfield Hub photographer SEAN DOYLE