Reject Calderdale's Local Plan
Reject Calderdale's Local Plan
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Latest: Sept. 19, 2023
High Court gives green light to Judicial Review of Calderdale Local Pla
Dear supporter,
Firstly, thank you to everyone who has supported our legal action.
On August 25, 2023, Deputy High Court Judge Karen Ridge granted permission to the Clifton Neighbourhood Forum…
Read moreThe Forum, with support from community groups across Calderdale (West Yorkshire), is challenging Calderdale Council’s decision to adopt its Local Plan.
On August 25, 2023, Deputy High Court Judge Karen Ridge granted permission to challenge Calderdale Council's Local Plan, despite opposition from the Council and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Throughout the Local Plan process, we've enlisted professional advisors in planning, traffic/transport, infrastructure, air quality, and legal matters, all supported by generous donations and fundraising. Their detailed work confirmed that Calderdale's Plan has significant issues. We presented all relevant evidence in our submissions, but it has been disregarded. We're taking action because the Council's traffic impact model, the Calderdale Strategic Transport Model (CSTM), is seriously flawed. Even their consultants acknowledge inaccuracies, including showing lower traffic levels than observed and failing Department of Transport validation criteria.
This model is crucial to the Local Plan, influencing the Council's assessment of impacts and mitigations for proposed developments. The inaccuracies mean it underestimates existing and future traffic levels, raising concerns about its reliability.
In simple terms, the flawed model suggests that thousands of new houses and commercial developments won't impact already congested roads, misleadingly claiming air quality won't worsen. Uncertainty remains about proposed highway and transport improvements and their funding.
Deputy High Court Judge Karen Ridge ordered that the claim has permission to proceed to a full hearing because it is arguable that the Inspector’s Report does not adequately grapple with critical concerns around the CSTM.
How you can help -
- Donate: Contribute directly to our solicitor.
- Share: Spread our message – challenging a Local Plan isn’t an everyday occurrence.
We‘re pursuing this because the legal and professional advice suggests a strong case. While there are no guarantees, we believe it’s a cause worth fighting for. We’re proud to stand with the broader community in Calderdale.
Thank you for your support – every contribution matters.
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Clifton Neighbourhood Forum
Sept. 19, 2023
High Court gives green light to Judicial Review of Calderdale Local Pla
Dear supporter,
Firstly, thank you to everyone who has supported our legal action.
On August 25, 2023, Deputy High Court Judge Karen Ridge granted permission to the Clifton Neighbourhood Forum's request to challenge Calderdale Council's Local Plan. This decision came after Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities both argued that the request should be denied.
Our request focused on three main issues, the first of which was that there are significant errors in the Calderdale Strategic Transport Model (CTSM).
The model is crucial to the Local Plan as it underpins the Council’s entire assessment of the impacts of, and therefore mitigations needed, for the development allocations it proposes. Its inaccuracies mean it substantially underestimates existing and future traffic levels and is not robust.
The Judge ordered that the claim has permission to proceed to a full hearing because it is arguable that the Inspector’s Report does not adequately grapple with critical concerns around the CSTM.
A spokesperson for the Forum stated, "From the beginning, we believed that Calderdale ignored essential transport evidence. We participated in the process, brought in independent transport experts, and presented evidence explaining that despite what the flawed CSTM suggested, the reality of the transport and traffic situation is that the Calderdale highway and transport network cannot cope with the Local Plan proposals."
One piece of evidence presented during the Local Plan Examination Hearings, which is entirely consistent with the Forum’s case, was a report from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), which deemed a new £629,000 transport model necessary for Calderdale because the current CSTM "would not stand up to scrutiny in a public inquiry."
It is thanks to dedicated volunteers and generous donations we’ve been able to do this. Every single pound donated from across Calderdale counts.
We have now increased our appeal target to fund our day in the High Court - we'll publish further updates here and on social media over the coming months.
We are proud to be part of a broad Borough-wide community standing up for what’s right. Thank you for being so supportive - it is appreciated!
Kind regards
The Clifton Neighbourhood Forum team
Clifton Neighbourhood Forum
May 13, 2023
Fundraising update
The Clifton Neighbourhood Forum team thanks everyone who has donated towards the legal claim for a hearing to have the Calderdale Local Plan overturned.
On day two of launching this appeal, the £5,000 reserve target was exceeded. By day seven, donations topped £10,000, halfway towards the £20,000 stretched target.
Every pound donated here directly funds the legal action; we know this is a challenging time for people, and we are grateful for any donation. If you can support by donating and sharing this campaign, you'll be helping our campaign to have the Calderdale Local Plan overturned.
It takes courage to challenge the choices made by those in power, and it is thanks to the generosity of people across the borough and the earlier work completed by the Forum this action is possible.
You can find out more about the legal action on our website https://cliftonforum.org.uk/legal-action/
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