Leeds City Council is encouraging residents and businesses to have their say on its draft Local Plan Update, which sets out the authority’s approach to planning policy and new development across the district over the next decade and beyond.
The Local Plan Update, titled ‘Your Neighbourhood, Your City, Your Planet’ is focused on helping the council deliver its climate emergency commitments, by shaping planning policy to reduce the city’s impact on the environment and help make significant progress towards achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
This follows a previous consultation in July 2021 which scoped out the potential changes to the Local Plan being consulted on and set the direction of travel for the update.
The council has set out a raft of policies that will dramatically reduce the carbon emissions of new buildings and increase the provision of renewable energy, better protect green spaces and trees, improve resilience to floods and improve new places by requiring that they incorporate the highest standards of design and maximise opportunities to create healthier environments.
Speaking about the Local Plan Update Councillor Helen Hayden, Leeds City Council’s executive portfolio holder for infrastructure and climate, said:
“The Local Plan Update will play a key role in meeting our climate emergency commitments, shaping our city’s planning policies for the long term to help Leeds on that critical journey to becoming carbon neutral.
“This is a significant challenge that needs sustained effort from everyone across our city as well as significant changes to our policies. The Local Plan Update doesn’t stop there, it also sets out planning policy to help the city build healthier places, make space for nature, and protect ourselves from flooding.
“However, it is crucial that we receive feedback from residents and businesses to ensure that the update reflects the views of Leeds and to help guide us in our efforts to create a better and greener city for everyone.”
The five key focus topic areas for the local plan are:
- Dramatically reduce the carbon emissions of new buildings and increase the provision of renewable energy
- Better protect the green spaces and biodiversity we already have, and increase the quality of what is created in the future
- Make it harder to cut down trees and require far more trees to be planted as replacement where it’s unavoidable
- Improve our resilience to flooding and make space for water in new developments
- Improve new places by requiring that they incorporate the highest standards of design and maximise opportunities to create healthier environments
Have your say in different ways
The Local Plan Update consultation will be open from 24 October through to 19 December 2022
The dedicated website www.leeds.gov.uk/lpu is home to all the information contained within the draft Local Plan. This includes separate sections for the different topic areas, which are available in detailed and short formats.
This means people can read the whole draft plan or just the areas that are of interest and can contribute their views using our online surveys whether they have read the documents in detail or having read a shorter, more summarised version.
Over the coming weeks, members of the Council’s Planning team will be hosting a series of webinars so people can find out more about the draft Local Plan and its individual topics.
Residents and businesses can also contribute their views via email, post, and phone or at a series of drop in events, including the White Rose Shopping Centre atrium on Saturday 19 November, 11am-3pm. Further drop in events are to be announced.
Councillor Hayden also said:
“Planning is the first step in so many things that affect so many people’s lives, sometimes without them even being aware of it. This is an important piece of work, and because of that it is crucial that we hear from everybody that wants to comment on our plan.
“We are working to make the draft Local Plan more accessible than ever before, gathering the views of as many people and businesses as possible to ensure the comments gathered represent varied views from all people across the city.”
To find out more and have your say, visit www.leeds.gov.uk/lpu
This post is based on a press release issued by Leeds City Council
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