Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Planning Officer on the Leeds Local Plan setting out the scope for the second review of the Plan, seeking to ensure that it is kept up to date and relevant to the needs of the District.

The report of the Chief Planning Officer presented Members with the Leeds Local Plan, setting out the scope for the second review of the Plan, sought to ensure that it is kept up to date and relevant to the needs of the District.

The Team Leader (Sites & Policies), Policy and Plans from City Development, provided the Panel with an overview of the Leeds Local Plan Review, noting, this was the second review of the plan, it is comprised of 228 policies. A review of the policies every 5 years is a legal obligation. The focus of this review was on the Aire Valley Area Action Plan (AVLAAP) and also provides the opportunity to consider any implications in light of changes to National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in 2021. Policies from Core Strategy 2014, Natural Resources and Waste DPD 2013 and UDP review 2006 are all included within the review.  The review robustly and objectively assesses the necessity of updating each policy, it is not the process of update. An update is already underway through the Local Plan Update (Your Neighbourhood, Your City, Your Planet) and the scoping work on LLP2040. Plans and policies should be relevant and effective within local circumstances and decision making, which is the driving factor when identifying to what extent an update is required, some may only require the updating of terminology. The summary table assists with identifying the policies that have been brought into the scope of the Local Plan Update - 39 policies have been brought into the scope of LPU1 through the drafting of regulation 19 preferred draft new, amended or superseded policies. 40 policies will be retained and reviewed again in 5 years, and 149 are considered in scope of update. The next review was noted as September 2024, subject to the monitoring of the current and proposed consultations on the NPPF.

The following amendments to the figures in the report were outlined to Panel Members:

·  Page 13, paragraph 9 – There are 149 policies that fall into the scope for update, not 140.

·  Page 24, paragraph 15 – There are 21 AVLAAP policies to be considered for update, not 24.

·  Page 24, paragraph 17 – There are 36 policies affected across the rest of the policies reviewed, not 31.

·  Page 24, paragraph 18 - Covers a potential total of 128 policies, not 126.

·  Page 24, paragraph 19 – There are 36 remaining policies, not 26.

  Members discussed the following key matters:

·  It was confirmed the specifics of policy areas were not up for the Panel to debate with submission of this report, but to outline what is to be reviewed.

·  In response to a question from Members of the Panel it was confirmed that if a consultation response suggests a certain policy should be under review or greater scrutiny, this view will still be considered at the second review stage.

RESOLVED –

a)  That Members comments on the report and the conclusions and recommendations of the 2023 Review of the Local Plan policies (Appendix 1), as per the updated figures provided by officers during the meeting, be noted.

b)  That the Chief Planning officer approval through delegated powers be agreed.

c)  That the online publication of the 2023 review on the council webpages alongside the Local Development Scheme, be agreed.