Housing scheme in Woodhouse, Keighley, nears completion (From Keighley News)

Housing scheme in Woodhouse, Keighley, nears completion

7:30am Friday 25th January 2013 in Keighley

A Woodhouse housing scheme – developed jointly by Incommunities and Skipton Properties – is approaching completion.

Nearly 100 homes on the estate were demolished in 2010, paving the way for the multi-million-pound regeneration of the area.

Skipton Properties has built 123 homes in their place, 41 of which will be let out to social housing tenants.

News of the project’s success comes as figures show there are currently more than 11,000 homes across Bradford district that have been given the green light by planners but have yet to be built due to the economic downturn.

Fewer than 700 homes were completed by developers in 2010-11 – less than a third of the annual target of 2,430.

In comparison, 2,156 homes were built in 2007-08, before the recession hit. There is currently planning permission for 11,188 homes across Bradford district – 9,006 on brownfield land and 2,182 on greenfield land.

Coun Val Slater, executive member for homes and planning at Bradford Council, said the figures showed how the economic downturn had affected the construction industry.

She added: “I think it demonstrates how the Government has got it wrong by saying it’s the planning system that’s getting in the way of development. That clearly isn’t the case.

“It’s because the banks are not lending money to the developers and the Government is not making sufficient funds available for them to actually do the building.”