The purpose of the Sustainable Development Unit is to support and promote the delivery of sustainable development in Leeds.
Many different parts of Leeds City Council and many other organisations have roles to play in delivering sustainable development. The Unit has both a corporate and a departmental role. It leads on and provides a focus for the sustainability work of the Development Department as a whole. The Unit also aims to mainstream sustainable development by influencing corporate City Council efforts and the work of other stakeholders and working on areas of mutual interest with our partners. The work of the Sustainable Development Unit is influenced by a variety of international, national and local priorities and pieces of legislation.
We aim to do this by establishing priorities and delivering outcomes against the following six 'steps' or activities:-
Step 1
Managing and improving the local authority's own environmental performance
- To co-ordinate, manage and monitor the City Council's EMAS programme
- To deliver a programme of staff and member training on the work of the Sustainable Development Unit, raising the profile and communicating the implications of high quality design and sustainable development.
Step 2
Achieving sustainable development through the local authority's policies and activities
- To provide advice aimed at improving the quality and sustainability of the built environment by targeting approximately the 20% most significant development in Leeds
- To review the sustainable development design guide
- To implement the programme of Conservation Area Appraisals and Character Area Statements targeting the areas of greatest development pressure
- To publish the Residential Design Guide and promote its use
- To provide a Protected Tree service
- To continue to influence the development of the Council's Nature Conservation service and activities
- To provide a Minerals & Waste planning service
- To implement the Council's Contaminated Land inspection strategy
- To continue to influence the development of the Council's Integrated Waste Management Strategy
Step 3
Awareness raising and education
- To deliver the Council's work on Education for Sustainable Development
- To run the annual Leeds Architectural and Lighting Awards
Step 4
Consulting and involving members of the general public
- To increase staff competencies in consultation and involvement
Step 5
Projects and partnerships in the local community
- To service the Leeds Environment City Partnership and its programme of work including the development of a robust Sustainability Appraisal framework and Sustainable Growth Park on behalf of the Leeds Initiative
- To service the Leeds Architectural and Design Initiative
- To represent the department on the Wyke Beck Way partnership board
- To provide design advice to the Supertram project
- To implement the Waterfront Strategy
- To represent the department and provide urban design advice on the implementation of the Holbeck Urban Village project
- To service the annual State of the River Meeting
Step 6
Measuring and monitoring and reporting progress
- To publish the State of the Environment Report for Leeds as a basis for providing evidence based interventions and service improvement in the local community
The Sustainable Development Unit has a wide range of responsibilities and customers, shared between six main teams. The services provided include the following:
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TEAM
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FUNCTION
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Conservation
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Promoting the conservation of the historic environment of Leeds
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Design
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Contributing to the enhancement of the quality of the built environment and the promotion of good design.
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Environment City
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Contributing to the co-ordination and delivery of city-wide and corporate programmes for sustainable development, environmental management, environmental awareness raising and education and training.
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Landscape
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Advising on aspects of landscape conservation and design, nature conservation and biodiversity issues and protected trees
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Minerals
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Planning and control of minerals extraction and waste management and implementing the contaminated land inspection strategy
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Management, Projects and Support
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Overall management of the Unit and providing advice on sustainable development policy and practice. Driving forward and advising on key planning projects and initiatives in the City. Providing administrative and clerical support for the work of the Unit.
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You can contact the Sustainable Development Unit by writing to:
Dr Thomas Knowland
Head of Sustainable Development
City Development
The Leonardo Building
2 Rossington Street
Leeds LS2 8HD
Fax: 0113 247 6484