Object

Representation ID: 30068

Received: 24/03/2021

Respondent: Persimmon Homes (West Yorkshire)

Agent: Lichfields

Housing Distribution - Silsden

The general inconsistencies of the approach to the District Wide Housing Requirement adopted by CBMDC are clearly apparent with reference to land at Bolton Road, considered in further detail below.

This has reduced from an apportionment to Silsden of 1,200 as set out within the adopted Core Strategy (2017), and also a reduction from 800 proposed in the Core Strategy Partial Review in 2019. It is important to note that the reduction from that in Core Strategy Partial Review to that in the draft Local Plan has occurred despite the overall district wide housing requirement not changing between the two documents. This reduction seems inexplicable when there is land (site SI/004) within the defined settlement boundary of Silsden that CBMDC has identified as being unconstrained and capable of accommodating in excess of a further 1141 dwellings, yet has not chosen to allocate.

Notwithstanding the need to increase the housing requirement overall, a reduction in the housing apportionment is not justified in respect of Silsden where there is non-Green Belt land which is suitable and available for development, and is clearly identified as such within the Council’s own evidence base.