There was a special meeting of all Kirklees Councillors on Wednesday 12 October to make a decision on the Local Plan. The Local Plan sets out the policies for new developments for the next 15 or so years. Crucially, it also allocates sites for new housing developments and for businesses.
The Government sets the rules for the Local Plan eg for the number of new houses. The Government also has the final say in the content of the Local Plan. So it is only local in the sense that it affects where we live. The Government has the biggest say in what it should be like.
I think Local Plans should be decided by those people who will be affected ie residents and their elected representatives.
I and all the Liberal Democrat Councillors voted against the Local Plan at the Council meeting.

This what the Local Plan, as now agreed by a majority of the Councillors present, means for Cleckheaton ward. On the maps that follow: the sandy brown areas are housing sites and are also marked with an “H” and the purple areas marked “E” are for employment ie business development.

For Hightown: good news – the housing site off Hightown Road has been removed and the site remains allocated as Green Belt.

Good news: the proposed housinhg site off Hightown Road has been removed from the plan

For Hartshead Moor Top:
One of the housing sites is on the former Special School site.