ADDINGHAM: 'We don't need 400 new village houses'

In the first of a series of 27 articles analysing the key study into the availability of land in Bradford, T&A reporter JON REDHEAD looks in depth at the possibilities for housing sites in Addingham.

Hundreds of new homes proposed for Addingham could effectively force local people out of the village, it has been claimed.

And Councillor Adrian Naylor believes the village does not have a demand for large-scale developments like the 400 homes proposed by draft plans setting out a district-wide vision.

A total of 15 sites in Addingham have been identified as having potential for future housing projects as part of a strategic assessment of available land.

The majority of the sites are greenbelt or protected as other green space designations under current council policy. Planners believe the 35 hectares of land could have a capacity for 1,009 homes within 17 years.

The majority would be delivered in years seven to 12.

But Coun Naylor (Con, Craven) argues that although the suitability of some of the sites is in question, he believes any major new house projects in the area could have a detrimental effect on people born and bred in the village.

"Nobody has actually proved there is a demand in Addingham for 400 new houses, " he said.

"What we have is a figure that is split from a district-wide figure and it has just been said we're going to plonk X number of houses there.

"However, if these houses are for people who can't normally afford houses, then Addingham's not the place you put that housing.

"They will be relatively expensive and I suspect we're more likely to see people buying them because they wish to have access to better schools in the area and will most likely be higher paid individuals who work somewhere like Leeds.

"So from that point of view, this is not actually sorting the problem of demand - it is creating 400 fairly expensive houses.

"It does nothing for people born and bred in the village who don't have high paid jobs. They're being forced out and this is making the problem worse."

Long-serving parish councillor Alan Jerome said plan-ners involved in the creation of the A65 Addingham bypass speculated at the time that the road could eventually mark the village boundary, with development extending up to it.

And maps drawn up by Council planners highlight-ing land available for housing, which will be used when allocating land as part of the LDF, indicate that plots to the north, south, east and west of the village are all potentially suitable for housing, although limited by local policy constraints.

The biggest areas highlighted are fields between the village and the Addingham bypass, between Southfield Lane and Coppy Road, and to the east of Stockinger Lane, bordering the bypass and village cricket ground.

Other sites identified lie alongside the A65 at the western end of the village, plus green plots at the northern end of the village.

Coun Naylor says he has already asked for work to be carried out identifying the pros and cons of each site highlighted in the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment.

"Addingham has a definite character and boundary and the majority of what is proposed is between the bypass and the high street and existing sites, " he said.

"I've asked the civic society and the parish council to consider each particular site and sum up whether there are issues they need to bring up both for and against. Not all of those sites are available to develop now."

Addingham Parish Council has already raised concerns and has asked the Council for someone to speak to them before the end of a public consultation next month.

They have already estimated 600 cars could be added to Addingham's roads if 400 houses are built by 2028, and this would also increase pressure for places at Addingham Primary School.