Planning Policy Bulletin
NOTICE OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Draft Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)
Public Consultation
The Council is consulting on a new, revised Draft Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). This document sets out when and how the Council will consult and engage local communities and stakeholders in planning matters across the Bradford District.
The SCI is a statutory document and is required to be reviewed every 5 years.
The document covers the preparation of the Local Plan, supplementary planning guidance, neighbourhood planning and applications for planning permission.
Have your say…
The Council are currently seeking your views on the content of this document and an accompanying Equality Impact Assessment.
The consultation runs for 6 weeks from Monday 8th September, concluding at 5pm on Monday 20th October 2025.
How to view the documents
The Draft SCI and Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) are available to view on the OpusConsult consultation portal and on the Council’s consultations webpage.
Paper copies of the documents are available at the following deposit locations (* by appointment only):
- CBMDC Customer Service Centre, Britannia House, Hall Ings, Bradford, BD1 1HX*
- City Library, Centenary Square, Bradford, BD1 1SD*
- Bradford Local Studies Library, Margaret McMillain Tower (side entrance), Princes Way, Bradford, BD1 1NN
- Shipley Library, 2 Wellcroft, Shipley, BD18 3QH
- Shipley Town Hall, Kirkgate, Shipley, BD18 3EJ
- Bingley Library, 5 Rise Shopping Centre, Bingley, BD16 1AW
- Keighley Library, North Street, Keighley, BD21 3SX
- Keighley Town Hall, Bow Street, Keighley, BD21 3PA
- Ilkley Library, Station Road, Ilkley, LS29 8HA
How to make comments
If you would like to give your views about the Draft Statement of Community Involvement, please visit our online consultation portal at: https://bradford.oc2.uk/. The portal is our preferred method of consultation to help the Council quickly review and collate your comments saving resources and reducing our costs. You will need to register on the portal before submitting your comments.
Alternatively please complete a Comment Form available on the Council’s website and return it to the Local Plan Team by Email: planning.policy@bradford.gov.uk or post to: Local Plan Team, Britannia House (4th floor), Hall Ings, Bradford, BD1 1HX.
The deadline to comment on the plan is 5pm on Monday 20th October 2025.
Consultation Events
A number of consultation events will take place over the next 6 weeks. If you are interested in attending an event online or in person please visit our dedicated SCI webpage in the link below for further information.
For the avoidance of doubt, the majority of responses received are ordinarily made by developers and land owners. This is your opportunity to shape planning policy across the district and in the wharfedale Ward (Burley in Wharfedale, Menston and Ben Rhydding). I appreciate that the process isn’t easy to understand, or indeed to comment upon, however, this is likely to be the only occassion on which to do so.
Useful resources to the Planning Policy Bulletin
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Changes to the NPPF
- Town and Country Planning Act 1990
- Bradford Supplementary Planning Documents
- Draft South Pennine Moors SPA, SAC, SPD
Changes to the NPPF, December 2024.
Please note that this is my own work, and to the best of my belief is accurate and up to date.
These changes were introduced in December 2024, and these changes have made it easier to release green belt and considerably more difficult for development to be opposed. The key take away is:
Implications for Development in Villages
One of the most critical updates within the PPG is the explicit clarification that villages should not be classified as large built-up areas when assessing a site’s contribution to Green Belt purposes. This distinction is crucial as it removes a common barrier imposed by Local Planning Authorities when considering developments on the outskirts of villages within the Green Belt.
This change helps to eliminate resistance to development by confirming that:
- The Green Belt purpose of preventing town coalescence does not apply to villages.
- The Green Belt purpose of preserving the setting and special character of historic towns does not extend to villages.
This is detailed on page 5 of the PDF below.
Webversion_NPPF