Council challenged over plans for open space 'stewardship' scheme
Plus, Halifax MP goes on set as CBBC comedy show starts filming in Halifax
Hello and welcome to The Calderdale Lead.
I hope you’ve had a good start to the week. I was out and about in Hebden Bridge last night for a bite to eat and spotted that a Calderdale favourite was opening a new site in the town.
MAMIL - which stands for Middle-Aged Men in Lycra - is a cyling-themed coffee shop and bar which already has sites in Halifax and Brighouse.
The family-run business is opening it’s latest site in Hebden Bridge tomorrow and I wish them all the best with that venture. If you’re a bit of a cycling nut like me, it’s well-worth checking out!
In today’s edition, we’ve got details of a scheme Calderdale Council is looking to introduce that will make residents ‘stewards’ of open spaces within new housing developments.
Plus, Halifax MP Kate Dearden visited the set of CBBC sitcom High Hoops this week and got to meet some of the stars of the hit show.
Congratulations are also in order for Kate, who has just been appointed a junior minister by Sir Keir Starmer in the Department for Business and Trade.
So, on with the news…
Residents to become ‘stewards’ of open spaces under new council plans?
By John Greenwood
Town Hall chiefs in Calderdale are looking to introduce a “stewardship” model to ensure that open spaces provided for residents in new housing developments are properly maintained.
Senior Calderdale councillors, considering a planning policy document aimed at ensuring developers provide good quality open space as part of schemes, argue this will ensure this land will be well-managed as the years go by.
But the concept was challenged by a Calderdale resident voicing concerns it could result in “perpetual” financial burden on households.
Calderdale Council Cabinet members agreed to send the supplementary planning document (SPD) on open space, sport and recreation out to public consultation for four weeks.
The full council will then later need to agree whether to adopt it or not.
Cabinet member for Climate Action and Housing, Cllr Scott Patient, said it sought to guide protection and provision of open space through planning, adding weight to the council’s Local Plan.
“It sets out a clear process for calculating the amount of public open space required, but where this isn’t possible contributions are sought to improve local council open space elsewhere,” he said.
Parks, children’s play areas and formal sports provision were included and the policy set out financial contributions, to be updated each year for inflation, for “off-site” improvements, said Cllr Patient.
A proportion of developer contributions would be allocated for future maintenance of these, so they did not place a financial burden on the council’s maintenance budget.
Mirroring an approach made in the garden community developments planned for Thornhill and Woodhouse, near Brighouse, a proposed “stewardship” model was suggested for these spaces in new developments.
This was challenged in a question posed in Cabinet question time from resident Jason Carlton.
Mr Carlton said the stewardship hub model was “in effect a hidden housing levy on new developments over a certain size.”
This model had not been disclosed at the Local Plan examination, nor factored into the council’s viability assessments, and was absent from the Community Infrastructure Levy and S106 legal agreement infrastructure proposals, he said.
Mr Carlton asked: “On what legal and evidential basis is Calderdale now attempting to impose this untested, perpetual financial burden on households through an SPD, and how can the council justify introducing such a fundamental policy shift outside of public examination and the statutory infrastructure planning process?”
Cllr Patient replied that assertions the stewardship hub model would impose a “hidden housing levy” on new developments were “wholly misconceived.”
He told Cabinet the proposed stewardship hub model would be a not-for-profit independent charity that takes ownership of public open space and other public assets after a development has been completed, funded by a one-off contribution by developers and “modest annual payment by residents”.
Responding to Mr Carlton, he said the council considered this model potentially offers better value for money and benefit to residents.
Cllr Patient also said the council could not mandate developers opt to join a hub but it would be promoted as the preferred option.
He told Cabinet colleagues the stewardship hub model was “in contrast to the current approach generally seen – homeowners generally pay a service charge but the management company appointed to maintain the development often had very little accountability and residents often lack the ability and knowledge to take control.”
The current approach amounted to “costly management fees that go nowhere,” said Cllr Patient.
BBC TV cameras roll into Halifax for kids’ comedy show
By Andrew Greaves
Halifax MP Kate Dearden was invited onto the set of a CBBC comedy show this week.
Ms Dearden was given a behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the second series of popular show High Hoops, a sitcom about a charismatic, but chaotic, high school basketball player named Aoife, who joins the hopeless school team and tries to reinvent herself by leading them to victory.
The show stars Darci Hull as Aoife, with Peep Show duo Robert Webb and Isy Suttie in supporting roles as the headmaster and Aoife's mum, respectively.
Posting on her Facebook page, Ms Dearden said: “It was fabulous to visit the set of CBBC comedy series, High Hoops, right here in Halifax - the show is working withlocal schools to get local kids involved in the show, offering out work experience, and working with our own Calderdale College to offer 12 students work on set as part of their T-Levels in media.
“The show tells the inspiring story of a secondary school basketball player and represents just one part of this Labour government’s investment in Yorkshire and creative industries - with High Hoops alone putting £2.4 million into our region.
“I can't wait to watch it when the second season is out, so make sure you tune in!”
The series is expected to be broadcast later this year.
That’s it for this edition! I hope you have a cracking rest of the week and I’ll be back in your inboxes on Sunday.
Until then, thanks for reading!
Andrew