The creation of new towns has been suggested by two independent councillors serving Wharfedale as a way of tackling the housing shortage.

Bradford councillor Adrian Naylor (Ind, Craven) raised the subject of new towns with Planning Minister Nick Boles when he visited Addingham recently.

And Ilkley ward councillor Anne Hawkesworth (Ind, Ilkley) believes brownfield land to the south of Leeds or Bradford, at the boundaries of several local authorities, could be the “obvious direction” to look.

Coun Naylor says the minister asked him to send more information on his new town idea, and a suggestion he made about a new look at the way housebuilding is financed.

He believes building new towns would enable large-scale development with new appropriate infrastructure, such as new schools.

“Up to now, the focus has been developing local plans and finding sites for building either on brownfield sites or on new greenfield or green belt sites,” said Coun Naylor.

“This piecemeal approach is both costly and inefficient and does nothing to stimulate large-scale building which is, after all, what the Government wants. What it does do is put additional strain on existing infrastructure with a vague promise of new infrastructure at some vague future time when the houses are built.”

Another potential solution, he added, was looking to institutional funders, such as pension funds, to finance housebuilding.

“If the Government considered how to reduce the risk, this would potentially unlock significant amounts to enable the right houses to be built,” said Coun Naylor.

Councillor Hawkesworth is also calling for an investigation into the principle of a new town in West Yorkshire.

She said she condemned the principle of cramming houses on the green belt, which she feels Bradford planners appeared to be following.

She believes an area close to where the M606 and M62 meet, or land close to the Leeds and Wakefield local authority boundaries, would be suitable areas.