First Anniversary of the Holme Valley Neighbourhood Development Plan!

Published: 24 January 2023

Following its successful endorsement by our community in a referendum, the Holme Valley Neighbourhood Development Plan was formally adopted by Kirklees Council on 8th December 2021.

Since then, it has been influencing planning decisions in our area making sure they consider what we value about the Holme Valley.

Our Planning Committee has been pleased to observe its increasing visibility in planning applications with Kirklees officers now considering its policies about our landscape, heritage and local identity. Councillors use the Holme Valley Neighbourhood Development Plan to highlight what the local community wants to see which includes a better mix of housing, sensitively designed developments and the need for more sustainability measures and enhanced biodiversity. The Neighbourhood Development Plan sits underneath the National Planning Policy Framework and Kirklees Local Plan helping shape the future of the Holme Valley and can be viewed on the Parish Council and Kirklees websites.

Through the development of the Holme Valley Neighbourhood Development Plan, we consulted widely in the community and many varied issues were raised with the Parish Council, feeding into its planning policies. A number of other ‘non-planning’ issues related to our heritage, economy, community facilities, public space, traffic, transport and sustainability were raised and the Planning committee has been working with partners to progress these to deliver positive improvements in the valley. These include guiding our awarding of grants within the community, exploring road safety improvements with Kirklees Highways, championing positive climate action, and sharing information about conservation areas with local people through our communications channels.