Although the 1980 approved West Yorkshire County Structure Plan defined strategic Green Belt for Leeds, and the whole of the county, it is the Leeds Unitary Development Plan (UDP) which defines in detail a Green Belt around the main urban areas of the district.
The boundaries of Leeds Green Belt land are defined on the UDP Proposals Map. The net effect of the UDP on earlier development plan is to increase the area of Green Belt by about 19,037 hectares, mainly be extending the outer edge of the Green Belt so as to maintain its practical functioning width.
The green belt is a town planning policy with which the general public is very familiar; and it is one policy which enjoys considerable public support. However, the exact purposes of green belt policy are, perhaps, less clearly understood. They are :
- to check the growth of large built up areas
- to prevent neighbouring towns from merging
- to safeguard the countryside from encroachment
- to preserve the special character of a town
- to assist in urban regeneration
These purposes have the aim of keeping the land in the Green Belt open and not built upon.
However, this does not mean there can be no building, or change of use of land in the Green Belt. Some kinds of buildings, for example for agricultural purposes, are considered appropriate in the Green Belt. Some open uses such as playing fields are acceptable there, and as a consequence buildings to accommodate ancillary activities, such as changing rooms, similarly are appropriate. Exceptionally, where a building is judged to be necessary, but no site for it can be found in the urban areas, or beyond on the outside of the Green Belt, then permission may be granted for it in the Green Belt.
The City Council has produced supplementary guidance to ensure its own Green Belt policies keep pace with changes to policy at national level. These cover all aspects of Green Belt policy including new buildings, demolition and replacement buildings, changes of use of buildings, leisure uses, minerals development and more.
Whatever development is allowed in Green Belt it is required to maintain or improve the appearance of the local landscape. Even development in the urban area inside the Green Belt should be designed so as not to harm the amenities of the Green Belt.