AIRE Valley villages including Silsden and Steeton came under the spotlight at hearings regarding Bradford Council's Local Plan Core Strategy.

The public enquiry last week heard concerns about challenges such as flooding, wildlife protection, school places, and lack of infrastructure to cope with thousands of new houses.

Organisations representing residents, as well as politicians including Bradford and Silsden councillor Adrian Naylor, spoke at the hearings called at Saltaire by Government planning inspector, Stephen Pratt.

Three days of hearings examined the modifications to the proposed Core Strategy of Bradford Council's Local Plan for the district.

The document has increased housebuilding figures for the area, with new housing numbers for Silsden – between now and 2030 – being revised from 1,000 to 1,200.

The inspector will study all the evidence presented last week before deciding whether to change the housing targets for each area, and whether to demand extra work by the council, such as addressing infrastructure problems.

Cllr Naylor voiced fears that the existing Aire Valley sewer system and local electricity sub-stations would not be able to cope with the influx of new residents.

He added: “We’ve already given planning permission for 600 or 700 houses in the area and these will trigger the need for a new sub-station.”

Cllr Naylor questioned the council’s approach to tackling flooding in places such as Silsden, which was heavily affected by the Boxing Day high water hell.

He claimed Bradford Council had decided to address potential flooding problems for each individual housing site whenever it received an application.

But he said: “A lot of the flooding in our area is about groundwater. At the inquiry, a professor said you can’t deal with groundwater flooding on the site-by-site basis, there has to be an overall strategy.”

“It’s a bit like putting your finger in the dam to stop the water, then water starts coming out five yards further along.”

Cllr Naylor said that at the inquiry, some builders requested changes to regulations aimed at protecting wildlife habitats from housing developers.

He added: “This appears to have weakened the policy. It increases the opportunities to build. Whether it’s a good thing depends what you’re building and where it is."

Bradford Council has demanded that some developers of major housing schemes in Silsden provide cash to support wildlife habitats on nearby Ilkley and Rombalds Moors, including footpaths and signs.