Agenda and minutes

The Panel welcomed Councillor Lamb back after recently being unwell and were glad to see him back at work.

The Legal Officer advised Panel Members that as the election had been called for the 4^th of May 2023 so the pre-election period, also known as ‘purdah’ brought heightened sensitivity, however, the purpose of the purdah period is not to prevent the Council from carrying out normal business but it is to prevent the business conducted during the period being potentially perceived to be securing any electoral advantage. Members were advised to participate in the meeting as usual but to also be mindful of debate which may be perceived as electioneering. 

To consider any appeals in accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2 of the Access to Information Rules (in the event of an Appeal the press and public will be excluded)

(*In accordance with Procedure Rule 15.2, written notice of an appeal must be received by the Head of Governance Services at least 24 hours before the meeting)

There were no appeals.

There were no exempt items.

There were no late items.

To disclose or draw attention to any interests in accordance with Leeds City Council’s ‘Councillor Code of Conduct’.

Members did not declare any interests at the meeting.

To receive any apologies for absence and notification of substitutes.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors, Finnigan, Akhtar and H Hayden with Councillor A Garthwaite substituting for Councillor Hayden.

To agree the minutes of the last meeting held on the 31^st Janruary 2023 as a correct record.

RESOLVED- That the minutes of the Development Plan Panel meeting held on the 31^st January 2023 be approved as an accurate record

The Group Manager Policy and Plans provided Members with an update on the Leeds Local Plan 2040 (LLP 2040) consultation which had closed on 24^th March 2023 with 1000 surveys responses received, submitted as 750 smart surveys and 250 emails. An additional 450 ‘call for sites’ survey responses had been received which was an ongoing process. The consultation was noted to be positive with more engagement exercises to be conducted as the plan is still in its early format.

To recevie the report of the Chief Planning Officer seeking Members’ views on a technical planning guidance note, “Co-living Position Paper”, intended to be used to help determine planning applications for co-living developments. This is necessary, in the absence of specific planning policy guidance for this type of development within the adopted Local Plan for Leeds or the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). 

The Report of the Chief Planning Officer sought Members’ views on a technical planning guidance note, “Co-living Position Paper”, intended to be used to help determine planning applications for co-living developments by using existing planning policies for housing and amenity. This was necessary, in the absence of specific planning policy guidance for this type of development within the adopted Local Plan for Leeds or the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). 

The Team Leader from City Development presented the report, providing Members with the following information:

·  The technical draft guidance document had been produced by Officers across Plans & Policy and Development Management within the City Development department, developed on previous briefs and best practice acquired from other core cities.

·  Members may be aware of co-living model planning applications that had been brought forward to Plans Panel meetings.

·  Co-living was a relatively new conceptual model for housing, largely appealing to young professionals and postgraduates seeking communal living, comprised of relatively small private units supported by communal facilities and amenity space.

·  It was a distinct model, in planning terms, similar to Purpose Build Student Accommodation (PBSA) however it attracts different end users.

·  Neither National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) or the Leeds Local Plan specifically refer to co-living, but they do contain policies for housing. Although a Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) had been drafted for PBSA, houses of multiple occupation (HMO) and co-living models, following legal advice in a Development Plan Panel meeting in December 2020, due to the lack of a policy hook, co-living was to be removed from that SPD.

·  Co-living developments do not hold a definitive planning use class; however, it can sit in both sui-generis and C3 (dwelling house) classifications.

·  It is important for Leeds to hold robust planning policy for design, affordability, amenity, sustainability, health and wellbeing and community infrastructure so the guidance document for co-living is needed to supplement current policy to ensure consistent housing quality.

·  An internal co-living guidance note had been available for planning officers, but formal, visible guidance was required to streamline the broad approach for applicants, officers and Plans Panel Members as co-living application proposals come forward.

·  There was a policy vacuum noted for co-living applications which will be best addressed in the long term through LLP20240, but new policy cannot be created at the moment.

·  The technical draft guidance contained material considerations of size, location, accessibility and affordability. Post occupancy surveys will provide further insight for lived experience as co-living development come into fruition.

·  The draft document was noted to be in the public domain with some feedback received from developers, commenting that the draft was well balanced, raised questions regarding the previous SPD which incorporated space standards for co-living and concerns for the aggregate approach to quantifying space standards between private and communal spaces.

·  A specific figure or measurement was not available for space standards within the draft guidance document as each scheme will be appraised on its own merit using the nationally described space standards (NDSS) model against an aggregate of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

The date and time of the next Development Plans Panel meetings is yet to be confirmed.

RESOLVED – The date and time for the next meeting of the Development Plan Panel was not confirmed at the time of the meeting.