Assessing Kirklees’ housing market to inform our new Local Plan
You might already know that we’re currently working on an update to the Kirklees Local Plan – which lays out how much development we want to achieve across Kirklees, and where that development should take place.
It’s a huge job, and lots of different factors play a part in updating these plans. One of the biggest ones is our local housing market.
We’re currently doing a Strategic Housing Market Assessment to make sure we have a large-scale, completely up-to-date analysis of what the housing market looks like in Kirklees right now.
What are we assessing?
We’re looking at key things impacting the housing market, including the cost of renting and buying, affordability and the patterns of people looking to move. We’re also taking into account the current housing available across Kirklees – its size, type, condition, and whether it’s available to rent or buy.
How is the assessment being done?
We’ve commissioned Arc4, consultants who specialise in collecting and analysing data around local housing markets, to support us with this research, and we’re engaging with a lot of organisations involved in providing housing across Kirklees. But as people who live in Kirklees, you’re a key part of this process.
After a huge amount of change over the last few years, we want to make sure we understand as much as possible about our local housing needs and issues. Above all, we want this research is reflective of everyone in Kirklees – from families with young children to older people requiring care, and from those who need affordable housing to those wishing to build or commission their own homes.
A lot of households across Kirklees have been randomly selected, and are already being directly contacted to take part in a detailed survey – but we want as many more people as possible to get involved. Please give us your input!
Councillor Graham Turner, Cabinet Member for Finance & Regeneration, says:
“This research is a vital part of planning our development for the future of Kirklees. When we first launched our Local Plan back in 2019, we couldn’t have imagined how much the landscape was about to change for everyone – which is why Cabinet approved a full update to the Local Plan late last year. To make this update meaningful, and be working to deliver the best outcomes we possibly can for Kirklees, we need to have a thorough understanding of the current housing market and, crucially, what’s missing.
“I’d urge as many people as possible to take part, because this is bigger than any one development – it’s how we plan for the bigger picture for Kirklees and its future.”