Agenda and minutes

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 against the refusal of inspection of documents.

There was no exempt information.

There were no formal late items.

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

There were no interests raised at the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors E Taylor, J McKenna and C Campbell. Councillor P Carlill attended as a substitute for the duration of the meeting.

To agree the minutes of the meeting held Tuesday 6^th July 2021, as a correct record.

RESOLVED- That the minutes of the Development Plan Panel meeting held on 6^th July 2021 be approved as an accurate record.

Matters Arising

Minute No.7 – updates arising from current and future national guidance changes.

A member queried the availability of the Affordable Housing Deliverability paper, and it was confirmed there has been a delay in preparing the document to ensure full consultation and it is now intended to be brought to the DPP meeting in November 2021.

Additionally, a member queried the progress on the Council submitting a funding bid to Natural England specifically in relation to the requirement to monitor and report Biodiversity Units to Natural England. The Head of Strategic Planning confirmed there are two potential sources of funding for Biodiversity Net Gain, but further clarity is awaited. It was confirmed that West Yorkshire Authorities are commissioning work on Net Gains and work is underway.

The report of the Chief Planning Officer provides Members of the Development Plan Panel with an update on the Local Plan Update Regulation 18 consultation, prior to receiving a full report after the consultation closes on 13th September.

(Report attached)

The report of the Chief Planning Officer provided Members of the Development Plan Panel with an update on the Local Plan Update Regulation 18 consultation, prior to receiving a full report after the consultation closes on the 13^th September 2021.

The Team Leader (Neighbourhood Planning and Engagement) introduced the report, and provided an update on the consultation progress ‘Your Neighbourhood, Your City, Your Planet’, the themes of the consultation relating to carbon reduction, flood risk, green infrastructure, place-making, as well as sustainable infrastructure and how this relates to the Council’s key strategies:

·  Health and Well-being Strategy

·  Climate Emergency

·  Inclusive Growth Strategy

It was reported that the number of responses were lower than expected at this stage of the consultation, but Members were advised that responses can often be made in the closing days of the consultation. Overall, the consultation has been successful in numerous areas (quality of the consultation material, social media reach, targeting of specific groups).

The online nature of the consultation presented both opportunities and challenges for this consultation and there will be an opportunity to reflect on these and learn lessons for future consultations.

Members were informed that an update will be brought to the Development Plan Panel meeting in November to report on the overall number and quality of responses received, with intent to feed into the draft Plan.

In response to Member’s questions, the following information was confirmed:

·  Clarity on the Interim Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) and the full SCI. Members heard that the interim SCI allowed colleagues to undertake plan making activity and the full SCI will be brought before Panel Members at the DPP meeting in November.

·  Ward members were advised of the events taking place, and information was shared on how members can promote the consultation through their social media channels.

·  Good engagement work has taken place with Universities in Leeds and a work placement student from Leeds Beckett University has promoted the consultation survey through a student forum of approximately 50k users.

·  Next stages will look at how specific policies following on from the consultation will relate to and shape future developments and consultative approaches will maintain the creativity and language used for the interim SCI.

RESOLVED –

a)  To note the contents of the report, together with comments raised during discussion of this item.

b)  To note the intention to receive a report in full at the Development Plan Panel meeting scheduled to take place in November 2021, following the close of the consultation.

The report of the Chief Planning Officer informs Members of the Development Plan Panel of the Government’s revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the new National Model Design Code (NMDC), both published on 20^th July 2021.

(Report attached)

The report of the Chief Planning Officer informed Members of the Development Plan Panel of the Government’s revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the new National Model Design Code (NMDC).

The Principal Planner introduced the report and informed members on key changes of the revised NPPF, that were in response to the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission (BBBC) ‘Living with Beauty’ report with additional changes to the text of the NPPF following on from the Government’s White Paper ‘Planning for the Future’ consultation 2020. It was noted that the report doesn’t detail a full revision to the NPPF, and additional revisions are expected.

Whilst the Council are generally supportive of the changes with increased focus on design, climate change, biodiversity and place making. Members were informed that there was a lack of clarity and outstanding concerns around:

·  The definition of ‘beauty’;

·  The application of Article 4 directions (including the future of town and local centres); and

·  The new guidance on flood risk.

The Panel noted that Leeds was successful in its bid to take part in the six-month pilot to develop local design codes and acknowledged there would be a workshop taking place at the commencement of the meeting on this subject.

The Panel discussed the following matters:

·  The training in place to ensure planning colleagues are up to date on changes made to the NPPF and NMDCs, with specific focus on the importance of design.

·  The Development Plan Panels next steps in terms of the areas listed as being of concern, particularly Article 4 Directions and Permitted Development rights. Panel members were keen to explore how Leeds will interpret those areas in the NPPF.

·  Ensuring that planning terminology is easily interpreted for members of the public, by creating a streamlined document. It was noted that officers are intending to create a quick table outlining NPPF changes in simple form.

·  The position on making effective use of land whilst ensuring the 5-year housing land supply and concerns relating to strain on various services such as transport networks.

·  Panel members were keen to hear from the school of architecture and a philosopher, to understand their meaning behind ‘beauty’ and place-making and it was requested that an invitation be extended to them for a future meeting. Officers highlighted the importance of understanding more about the prominence of good design that is related to local circumstances and local characters of areas across the city.

RESOLVED –

a)  To note the contents of the report, together with comments raised during discussion of this item.

To note the date and time of the next meeting as Tuesday 2^nd November 2021 at 1.30 pm.

RESOLVED – To note the date and time of the next meeting as Tuesday 2^nd November 2021 at 1.30 pm.

(The meeting concluded at 14:50)