Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Canal Road Corridor LDF

In the tenth of a series of 27 articles analysing the key study into the availability of land in Bradford, reporter Marc Meneaud looks in depth at the possibilities for housing sites on the Canal Road corridor in Bradford.

More than 3,300 new homes will be needed along the Canal Road Corridor to meet housing needs, according to draft plans put forward to shape the future of development in the district.

The area, between Bradford city centre and Shipley, has been identified as one of the priority areas for housing and regeneration in the Local Development Framework (LDF), a blue-print for development until 2028.

Land for housing, leisure and businesses will be specif-ically allocated further down the line but a strategic assessment of available land identifies 19 sites - four of which are green field - where 3,306 houses could be built.

Of those plots, planners believe nine could be developed within the 17-year timescale of the LDF.

Another 2,115 houses could be built on the remaining ten sites described as "uncertain" in the land assessment, after 2028, according to the land assessment.

In total, Council planners believe an area of 115 hectares of land could accommodate 3,306 homes.

However, only a handful of the sites could be developed now with "a substantial number" which the planners believe will not be available for development before 2028.

Others have been ruled out as unsuitable, because they are areas next to the canal, which are liable to flooding, may be contaminated, or are in areas of green belt.

They include playing fields between Canal Road and Stanley Road, where an estimated 268 homes could be built.

A total of 348 homes could also be built between Poplar Crescent and Gaisby Lane but the site is currently protected from development under the Council's planning policies and may be at risk of flooding.

The two areas of land have been identified in the central section of a proposed £500 million "Eco-settlement" creating jobs and sustainable homes, which will also provide a link along the canal between Bradford and Shipley.

That follows the formation of a public-private partnership with Urbo Regeneration Ltd, which is the Council's first private partner within the Canal Road Corridor (CRC) project.

However there is expected to be no development on either site for at least 13 years after planners and consultants drew up a masterplan for the area.

Councillor Vanda Greenwood, (Lab, Windhill and Wrose), whose ward includes the north eastern section of the Canal Road Corridor, said there had been concerns from residents about the potential loss of green space used by children and families.

She said: "There have been the same concerns as everywhere else about building on green field land but I also think that residents are excited to see what is going to happen. It is going to change the whole area."

Other key housing sites may include Bolton Woods Quarry, which could accom-modate 1,368 homes in the next 12 years. The quarry is coming to the end of its life and small areas could be developed in the next seven years.

More than a thousand houses could also be built on land currently earmarked for employment, housing and urban green space at Oliver's Lock, on the Bradford Canal.

To the west of Canal Road industrial areas, which are currently in use, have been identified for possible future development. The sites include land next to the Audi garage in Canal Road, Hillam Road Industrial Estate and areas near the Advanced Waste Management waste recycling centre.

There would also be improvements to Frizinghall railway station to encourage more people to use trains and ease expected traffic congestion caused by a large increase in cars using Canal Road.

Councillor Greenwood said: "Just because an area has been identified for housing, it does not necessarily mean that planning permis-sion will be granted.

"We are a long way from deciding exactly where these houses are going to go."

THE LONG-TERM LAND STRATEGY

The Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) is a technical document which will provide a pool of sites from which to select land to be allocated for housing when preparing the Local Development Framework.

The Framework is a blueprint that will manage development and growth across the district over the next 15 years.

Consultation on it's core strategy document, which sets out a long-term spatial vision for the district until 2028, is continuing. It sets out broad locations for development and policies that will influence the use of land and the type and scale of development permitted, as well as identifying key infrastructure requirements.

The overall Local Development Framework is expected to come into effect in 2013 with consultation over specific land allocations taking place during 2012.

Sites included in the current SHLAA may not make it into the land allocations documents and final framework. In addition further potential sites could be identified as the assessment is updated every year.