Anyone that has anything to do with Planning will not have to be reminded that we need to have a Local Plan that is sound and robust, as for the last four years we have been held to ransom by ruthless and greedy developers who have challenged us every step of the way, over our lack of a 25 year housing supply.
These are the very same developers who get applications and sit on them until the lack of housing means their sites quadruple in price.
The very same developers that fight tooth and nail not to give anything back to the communities where they wreak havoc, aided and abetted by this government, who allow them to use a viability argument which allows the developer 25% profit before they sell a property.
These same developers fight not to supply affordable homes of any sort to young families from the areas where they develop.
For this reason it is vitally important we support the plan today.
With regard to individual sites, 4 years ago when speaking about the ill-fated previous Local Plan, I said that there are many members in this chamber who are thanking God that their areas have not been put forward for development; I still believe now that the areas for development could have been shared out more equally.
Although I believe that overall the Plan does something to get Dewsbury back to some form of prosperity, along with other things that are happening.
To the people of Shaw Cross, I say that although most of the proposed development and access is located in Batley East, it will affect our area.
To the people of Chidswell, I say “this is not approval of a Planning Application, it is a plan of intent and I will support our communities through all the years to come” - We will ensure that the developers treat our communities with respect and listen to their concerns and work with them to maximise all the opportunities that will be forthcoming.
In conclusion, although this was not my first choice for development in my area and I have doubts about the deliverability of the numbers and the enabling infrastructure, I reluctantly do support the plan, as it offers us support to stop unrestricted development and offers great opportunities for growth in Dewsbury.
