What we have done
In February and March 2023 we:
- consulted on the scope of the Leeds Local Plan 2040
- held initial events to raise awareness of the plan
-
launched a call for sites
- commissioned a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) from ARC 4 consultants to provide evidence on housing needs across Leeds
Over the rest of 2023 we:
- undertook detailed analysis of the comments received through the scoping consultation
- progressed work on the SHMA, including launching a household survey
- scoped out the requirements for various elements of evidence that will be needed to underpin the plan
- established a methodology for the urban capacity study, which will help us understand how much development could potentially take place within the urban area and used this to identify sites in the urban area that could potentially be developed
- developed a Site Assessment Methodology, that can be used to assess all potential sites on a consistent basis, and began using this to assess sites
- closed the call for sites (30 June)
What we are doing now
We have published a map showing all of the sites submitted through the Call for Sites.
Over the next few months we will be:
- continuing to engage with stakeholders and those with an interest in the plan
- developing and refining our evidence on the needs for land for housing development, employment development, minerals extraction, waste processing and other uses
- considering the options for the overall spatial strategy of the plan and for each of the topics that the plan will address
- continuing detailed assessments of all sites that may hold potential for future development (including those identified through the urban capacity study, call for sites, existing allocations and planning approvals)
- confirming the methodology for a green belt review, to consider how different parts of the green belt meet the ‘five purposes’ of the green belt set out in national planning policy
- finalising the SHMA, which provides evidence on housing needs across Leeds, and publish this on our website
What we will do next
During the spring we will:
- undertake a review of the green belt in Leeds
- complete the assessment all the sites submitted through call for sites or identified through the urban capacity study
- analyse new evidence developed and use it, along with the comments received through the scoping consultation, to develop options for new policies
- consider the infrastructure required to support different growth and policy options
- have initial discussions with key stakeholders about the emerging evidence and potential options
- prepare material to consult and engage on options for growth, sites and planning policies
During the summer we will:
- consult formally on options for growth, sites and planning policies
- hold community events to explain what our evidence is telling us about localities, what potential alternative planning strategies may look like for different places and listen to local views and opinions
