Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of City Development presenting a revised approach towards progressing housing allocations and safeguarded land within the Leeds Site Allocations Plan (SAP) through its Examination. The report sets out a revised approach together with an updated timetable to the SAP Examination for consideration. This follows on from reports to Development Plan Panel on the 3rd and 21st November 2017, which set out the reasons for the revised approach, the methodology to be used and the changes now considered necessary to the SAP.

Further to Minute No. 148, 8^th February 2017, the Director of City Development submitted a report presenting a revised approach towards progressing housing allocations and safeguarded land within the Leeds Site Allocations Plan (SAP) through its Examination. The report set out proposed amendments to the ‘Submission draft SAP’ for public consultation together with an indicative timetable for the SAP Examination. It was noted that such proposalsfollowed on from reports considered by Development Plan Panel on the 3rd and 21^st November 2017, which set out the reasons for the revised approach, the methodology to be used and the changes which were now considered necessary to the SAP.

Prior to the meeting, Board Members had received an updated version of a plan included within Appendix 2 to the submitted report relating to the Outer South HMCA area. The version of the plan originally included within the agenda papers showed the route of HS2, as proposed at submission stage (May 2017). However, this was later updated, with some realignment, in July 2017. As such, the updated version was provided to Members as a replacement for the version originally included within the agenda.

Responding to a Member’s concerns, the Board received clarification regarding the relationship between the Council’s Core Strategy and the Leeds SAP, and how the SAP needed to be examined against the requirements set out within the Council’s adopted Core Strategy, which included the currently adopted housing requirement figures.

Again responding to Members’ comments, the Board also received further information on how the submitted report looked to continue to progress the Site Allocations Plan through the Examination process, whilst at the same time undertaking the Core Strategy Selective Review, with the aim of Leeds adopting a Site Allocations Plan and an amended Core Strategy, with a revised housing allocation, at the earliest opportunity, in order to ensure that the Council had a defensible five year land supply.

The Board also received an update on the actions being taken to ensure that housing continued to be developed across the city, with examples being given on the work undertaken to develop brownfield land sites in order to evidence the viability of such sites, together with the work undertaken to stimulate residential development in the city centre.

Members also discussed the ‘broad locations’ approach being proposed, and the potential implications of such an approach when considering issues such as the development within the Green Belt. Also, emphasis was placed upon the need to achieve the right balance between ensuring that there was sufficient housing provision for the city, whilst at the same time ensuring that such housing was built in the correct locations.

In conclusion, the Chair highlighted the impact nationally that the Department for Communities and Local Government’s proposals regarding revised methodology for the calculation of housing requirements has had, with it being emphasised that the lobbying of Government around the sufficiency of appropriate housing provision in Leeds would continue.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the update on further technical work on housing and Green Belt release, together with the revised timetable for the hearing sessions of the SAP Examination, be noted;

(b)  That the updated version of the plan circulated to Board Members prior to the meeting (as referenced above) which was included within Appendix 2 to the submitted report and which related to the Outer South HCMA area, be noted as a replacement of the version originally included within the agenda papers;

(c)  That full Council be recommended to approve the Revised Submission Draft SAP for the purposes of public consultation on changes, as set out within Appendix 1 to the submitted report, concerning:

(a) deleting some proposed housing allocations and safeguarded land, and proposing identifying these as Broad Locations;

(b) a new policy on Broad Locations;

(c) amending the phasing of proposed housing allocations to ensure that sufficient land is available to meet housing needs;

(d) revisions to the sustainability appraisal of the SAP (as detailed in Appendix 4 to the submitted report);

(e) consequential amendments to other parts of the Plan; and

(f) background material (and evidence) to support the proposed amendments.

(d)  That full Council be recommended to approve that this revised material (referenced in (c) above) be subject to 6 weeks public consultation and then be submitted to the Secretary of State (subject to any amendments following public consultation), as a Revised Submission Draft Plan prior to Stage 2 of the SAP Examination, pursuant to Section 20 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 as amended, in line with the draft timetable set out within the submitted report;

(e)  That full Council be recommended to approve that delegated authority is granted to the Chief Planning Officer, in consultation with the Executive Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning to make further amendments to the revised Submission Draft in response to representations received during the consultation period that are considered to be required for the soundness of the Plan;

(f)  That, as in the Submission of the Site Allocations Plan in May 2017, full Council be recommended to grant authority to the independent inspector appointed to hold the Public Examination, to make modifications to the Submission Draft Plan (as recommended to be revised in line with resolution (c) above), pursuant to Section 20 (7C) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, as amended;

(g)  That the necessary authority be delegated to the Chief Planning Officer, in consultation with the Executive Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning, to:

(i) approve the detail of any further technical documents and supporting evidence required to be submitted alongside the revised Submission plan for consideration at Stage 2 of the hearings;

(ii) continue discussions with key parties and suggest to the Inspector any edits and consequential changes which are necessary to be made to the revised Submission Draft Plan following Council approval during the Examination, and also to prepare and give evidence in support of the revised Submission Plan at Examination.

(Under the provisions of Council Procedure Rule 16.5, Councillors A Carter and Golton both required it to recorded that they respectively abstained from voting on the decisions referred to within this minute)

(The matters referred to within this minute, given that they were decisions being made in accordance with the Budget and Policy Framework

Procedure Rules, were not eligible for Call In, as Executive and Decision Making Procedure Rule 5.1.2 states that the power to Call In decisions does not extend to those decisions being made in accordance with the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules)