Agenda and minutes

To declare any personal / prejudicial interests for the purpose of Section 81(3) of the Local Government Act 2000 and paragraphs 8 to 12 of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

  No declarations of interest were made

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Smith and Councillor Harker

To approve the minutes of the Development Plan Panel meeting held on 13^th October 2009

(minutes attached)

RESOLVED-  That the minutes of the Development Plan Panel meeting held on 13^th October 2009 be approved

  Further to minute 23 of the Development Plan Panel meeting held on 13^th October 2009 – Leeds Development Framework Natural Resources and Waste Development Plans Document – The Chair referred to the concerns of the Executive Member Environmental Services on aspects of the DPD and informed Members that a meeting had taken place with the Executive Member, the Chair of the Development Plan Panel and Officers.  Some of the narrative relating to wind farms had been expanded upon but no material changes had been made and the document would now be submitted for informal public consultation

To consider a report of the Director of City Development setting out the Annual Monitoring Report for 2009 and seeking Panel’s agreement to refer the report to Executive Board for approval prior to its submission to the Secretary of State

(report attached)

  Members considered a report of the Director of City Development setting out the Annual Monitoring report (AMR) for 2009 and seeking Panel’s agreement to refer the report to the Executive Board for approval prior to its submission to the Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government

  The Head of Forward Planning and Implementation presented the report and informed Members that the AMR was a statutory requirement as part of the Local Development Framework.  The report looked back over the period 1^st April 2008 to 31^st March 2009 and included the time of change which had occurred since the economic downturn, which had seen the housing market weaken, a slow down in housing delivery and uncertainty around employment land and jobs

  The main headings of the AMR were outlined, these being:

  housing

  employment land

  previously developed land

  retail, office and leisure uses

  environmental issues and waste management

Members commented on the following matters:

·  the economic situation; how the Authority had reacted to this and the view that the elements were available to kick start the economy through increased house building, particularly of social and affordable housing, together with the necessary infrastructure

·  that Leeds did not live in isolation and that many of the issues being dealt with were national ones

·  concerns that a scarcity of housing in the future could lead to house price inflation and the problems associated with this

·  the importance of Leeds as a leading city; the fact that the recession was affecting many areas of employment, including some professions; that some small businesses were still creating jobs and that with the right support this could be replicated across all parts of the city and help towards easing the situation

·  that some social housing was being built in the city but that this was insufficient to cope with increasing demand, particularly as many young people were now unable to buy a property

·  the need for community infrastructure which included access to training, education and employment, which whilst not being a part of the planning framework was a vital element in creating communities

·  the Aire Valley proposals and the amount of progress on the site in respect of infrastructure

·  the need to protect against developers who curtail housing schemes which contain an element of social housing whilst simultaneously seeking planning permission for sites for private housing

·  in respect of retail space, that for those planning consents which condition the provision of infrastructure when certain triggers are reached, the need to ensure commercial advantage was not used against the Council to prevent the implementation of such infrastructure

·  the responses from Government Office to previous AMRs

·  the loss of employment land and the type of different uses this was being put to

·  the level of retail development which had been completed during the reporting period of the AMR and whether what was being measured was replacement or new retail space

·  that the figures for sand and gravel production had not been included in the report and the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

Tuesday 5^th January 2010 at 1.30pm in the Civic Hall, Leeds

  The Chair informed the meeting that due to the work flow within the Department the meeting in January 2010 had been cancelled, but that the meeting planned for 2^nd February 2010 would go ahead