More Greenbelt land may be spared as fewer houses needed under revised Bradford local plan

And it could mean swathes of greenbelt are spared from development.

But the revised figures will still require a huge amount of homes to be built across the district each year.

Bradford Council's original draft local plan for the coming years had said the district needed to provide 2,476 new homes a year.

But a dramatic change in government policy announced last summer meant the Council had to go back to the drawing board, as it was likely this figure would fall dramatically.

Today more details of the revised local plan have been released, which show the district will now only need 1,703 new homes a year.

Last year 1,600 homes were delivered in Bradford - which was a 10 year high.

The reduction will mean fewer Green Belt sites will be needed to deliver the new homes - although a chunk of the required housing will still likely need to be built on green land.

But one site that is likely to be considered for housing is Green Belt land to the East of Holme Wood - referred to by the Council as a "sustainable urban extension."

The Council has previously said that around 2,000 homes could be built there, and a proposed South East Bradford link road would "unlock" sites for such a development.

Under the original plans, around 11,000 homes would likely need to be built on Green Belt Lane around the district. But Andrew Marshall, Planning and Transport Strategy Manager, said: "There will be a significant reduction in the amount of green belt land that will be required." He said it could be half the amount previously suggested.

He said the focus will be on developing brownfield sites, with 70 per cent of developments being centred in the city of Bradford.

The remaining 30 per cent will be allocated to towns and villages around the district.

The plan sets out developments in the district until 2037 - and also sets out future employment sites as well as housing.

The documents released today do not reveal which areas will be allocated for housing, but lays out the methods planners will use to pick sites.

The amount of employment land needed in the coming years has also been downgraded. Originally the Council was looking to create 135 hectares of employment sites as part of their efforts to create 1,600 jobs a year. But under the new plan just 60 hectares will be needed.

Mr Marshall said this reduction was down to the gradual changes in the type of employment in the district - with fewer large sites needed to provide the same amount of jobs.

Elsewhere the report details how future developments will respond to climate change concerns - with sustainable travel a bigger part of housing sites.

And developers will be pushed to create better quality green spaces and gardens as part of their sites.

A public consultation on the plans is expected after the summer break.

The full plan is unlikely to have been approved by Central Government until around 2022.