SILSDEN’S green assets could be ‘sold off’ too cheaply if new planning rules are approved, warn local councillors.

They claim housing companies will not pay enough cash to help meet the multi-million pound impact of their developments on the town.

And they fear developers will flock to Silsden, Steeton and Eastburn, where it it would be cheaper to build than in areas like Ilkley and Addingham.

District councillors Andrew Mallinson and Adrian Naylor between them claim that more than £30 million could be lost to the Craven ward under the proposed Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL).

Under the current section 106 rule developers have to make a financial contribution towards the cost of improving local infrastructure in the neighbourhoods where they build houses.

This can include cash for schools, roads, community facilities and other essential upgrades.

Section 106 is being replaced by the CIL, and councils can set different levies for each area of the district.

In a consultation document, Bradford has suggested £100 and £50 fees per square metre in parts of Wharfedale, but only £20 per square metre for Silsden and Steeton.

The council has earmarked Silsden for 1,200 new houses over the next 15 years, and the Steeton-with-Eastburn parish for 700 new houses.

Cllrs Mallinson and Naylor this week estimated the cost of providing essential infrastructure for these homes, based on the council’s own projections.

They claim a total of more than £35 million, including £20 million for a Silsden bypass, £10 million for a new school, up to £5 million to expand Silsden’s electricity substation, and a substantial sum to upgrade the already-overloaded Airedale trunk sewer.

Cllr Naylor, who is also a Silsden town councillor, estimates developers would only need to pay £2,000 for each house, meaning Silsden would only raise £2.4 million towards the infrastructure costs.

He said: “If Silsden is going to get all these houses, there’s going to be a massive shortfall in the amount of CIL money for infrastructure.

“The council can’t afford to pay for it and the government have tried to remove the responsibility from themselves.”

Cllr Mallinson said the huge levy on Ilkley would deter housebuilders and push them to Silsden where it would be much cheaper to build.

He said: “This gives them the green light to rush to Silsden to build. It will be a developers’ paradise.”