Leeds Local Plan scoping consultation (Regulation 18)

Local Plan Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026 – Regulation 20

Leeds Local Plan (2025 TO 2043) - Scoping consultation document for public consultation (regulation 20)

The City Council has published, for comment, the Leeds Local Plan Scoping Consultation document (June 2026). This forms part of the preparation of a new Leeds Local Plan, which will set out the authority’s approach to planning policy and development across the district up to 2043.

This consultation represents the first stage in preparing the Leeds Local Plan under the new plan-making system introduced through the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026. It invites views on the proposed scope and content of the Plan (In fulfillment of the requirement to notify and invite representations as part of Local Plan preparation under Regulation 20 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026), and on how the Council should engage with communities and stakeholders as the Plan progresses.

Purpose of this consultation

This consultation relates to the early scoping stage in the preparation of the Leeds Local Plan.

It focuses on:

• the broad topics the new Local Plan should cover; and 
• how people, communities, organisation, businesses and stakeholders would like to be involved in future consultation stages 

The views expressed through previous consultations on the Plan will continue to be used to inform and shape the Plan.

Scope of the Leeds Local Plan

The Leeds Local Plan covers a wide range of planning matters. This consultation seeks views on whether the Plan should address the following topic areas:

Topic areas
Distributing Development	the overall approach to locating new homes, businesses and other types of development;
Housing and Affordable Housing	meeting needs for new homes across the district, including homes of different types and tenures
Economic Development & Employment	supporting employment by planning for the needs of businesses
Local Centres and Commercial Development	supporting the role of our centres and our high streets
Minerals and Waste	meeting specific requirements for mineral extraction and waste management
Transport and Connectivity	planning for future investment in transport infrastructure and helping enable people to travel more sustainably
Landscape and Rural Development	protecting important landscapes and open spaces, and supporting the vitality of rural communities
Placemaking	making sure that new development helps create well-designed and sustainable places
Resilience	supporting the creation of resilient places that use energy and other resources efficiently, increase energy security, reduce the shocks associated with global climate change and support legally binding carbon emission reductions
Flood Risk	planning to avoid, reduce and mitigate the risk of floods
The Environment	protecting valued green and blue spaces and the natural environment
Supporting the Delivery of the Plan	ensuring that the Plan is effective and brings forward the infrastructure that is needed to support new development.

Representations are invited on whether these topic areas are appropriate and whether there anything else to add or exclude from the scope.

The scoping consultation document also seeks specific feedback on the types of consultation and engagement methods that people considered work best for them, so that this can help inform and shape future engagement on the Plan.

Period for submission of comments

Comments are invited on the Leeds Local Plan Scoping Consultation document for a period of 6 weeks, from:

Wednesday 24 June 2026 to Wednesday 5 August 2026. 

This statement provides details on how to make comments.

How to view the documents

The dedicated consultation website will host all information relating to the Leeds Local Plan.

This allows people to:

• view the consultation material online;
• submit comments using online forms.

You will also be able to access consultation material at Libraries and Community Hubs as well as the Council’s Main Office at Merrion House, 110 Merrion Way, Leeds, LS2 8BB. 

Submitting your comments

We welcome comments from all stakeholders across the Leeds district and you can make comments in any of the following ways:

• Online: Have Your Say Today - Leeds Local Plan
• Email: Leedslocalplan@leeds.gov.uk
• By post: Leeds Local Plan Consultation, Policy & Plans Group, Merrion House, 9th Floor East, 110 Merrion Centre, Leeds, LS2 8BB.

Next stages

This consultation represents the first stage in the preparation of the Leeds Local Plan under the new plan-making system.

Following this consultation the council will consider all representations received and will:

• finalise the scope of the Plan
• agree an approach to future engagement

The next stage, known as the Plan Content and Evidence consultation, is expected to take place in Winter 2026/27. This will cover:

• draft policy approaches
• supporting evidence
• Site Options

Notification

In making a representation to this consultation the Council will notify you of future stages of the Local Plan, unless you specify otherwise

This may include notification of:

• further consultations
• submission of the Plan for independent examination
• publication of the Inspector’s recommendations
• adoption of the Local Plan

Accessibility

If you need help or support to take part in this consultation, please let us know and we will do our best to assist. We can be contacted on 0113 378 7993 or write to us at Leedslocalplan@leeds.gov.uk.

Privacy notice

To comply with its statutory obligations, the Council must make representations available for public inspection, including publication online.

This may include:

• your name
• your address
• the content of your representation

To protect personal data, any information not required by law (such as telephone numbers or signatures) will be removed before publication.

Further information is available in the council’s Planning Privacy Notice.