Supporting Documents of the Draft Bradford District Local Plan - Preferred Options (Feb 2021)

Object

Representation ID: 30224

Received: 24/03/2021

Respondent: Keyland Developments Ltd

Agent: Barton Wilmore

As noted under our comments relating to Policy SP5, our Client objects to the Council’s decision not to allocate the residential element of the Esholt site / application for residential purposes (NE/053). It has been established that the Council can allocate land detached from the boundary of the Bradford North East sub-area i.e. sites NE22/E and NE23/E, so there is no procedural reason why they can not allocate the housing site.

The NPPF provides clear guidance on the approach Council’s should take when releasing land from the Green Belt, paragraph 138 states “where it has been concluded that it is necessary to release Green Belt land for development, plans should give first consideration to land which has been previously-developed and/or is well-served by public transport”. The guidance does not state that such sites have to be adjacent to existing settlement boundaries and it is presumed that this is intentional so not as to preclude suitable sites which are not adjacent to a settlement boundary.

Site NE/053 is a case in point. It does adjoin a settlement, but one which is not defined in the settlement hierarchy; however, it is previously developed and it well-served by public transport, being near to Apperley Bridge railway station. As such, the site is sequentially preferable to most Green Belt release sites which the Council are proposing.

In addition to this, the Council are fully aware of the exceptional level of design and sustainability that the development is proposing, and it is considered that this helps to further justify the sites release from the Green Belt as a proposed housing allocation. Ultimately, by allocating this site, it means that should the housing target remain as proposed by the Council, a small reduction in the amount of greenfield, Green Belt release could be achieved.