Spatial Planning
Complementary spatial plans that support inclusive growth and investment in an active portfolio of strategic sites.
Aim
To develop complementary spatial plans that collectively reflect a shared ambition to tackle the climate emergency, achieve inclusive growth and well-designed places, and to support delivery of this growth through investment in an active portfolio of strategic sites.
What success will look like
Economic, environmental and social priorities are positively addressed in all spatial plans to support ambitions to tackle the climate emergency, achieve inclusive growth and quality place-making, and that policy implications / alignments are considered across administrative boundaries.
Understanding greater-than-local trends that drive change (such as housing and commercial property markets) and identifying and resolving issues across boundaries.
Cooperation on cross boundary matters including consideration of infrastructure needs and inter-relationships between infrastructure types. This applies particularly to transport infrastructure, digital, flood, utilities and minerals and waste.
Maintaining an up to date Statement of Common Ground detailing matters on which all parties agree relating to strategic planning matters and Local Plans passing the legal test in meeting the Duty to Cooperate.
Delivery of well-designed commercial and residential developments within Spatial Priority Areas (SPAs) and sites included in strategic pipelines.
Site-specific mitigation of the impact of development achieved in an efficient and coordinated way through planning obligations (relating to transport matters).
Strengths
- Good progress made on development of Local Plans.
- Positive cross-boundary cooperation and long history of joint-working on planning matters.
- Successful delivery programmes including the Leeds City Region Enterprize Zone Programme.
- Commitments to develop further strategic spatial planning policy through the WY devolution deal.
Challenges
- A requirement to balance economic, environmental and social priorities in policy development.
- Ambitious target to be net zero carbon by 2038, in which planning has role to play.
- Challenging ambitions to deliver up to 13,000 homes per year across the region.
- Viability issues in some parts of our city region preventing delivery of development.
- Significant, catchment-wide flood risk issues.
Policies and strategies
- Place Narrative
- WY Local Plans scheduled to be adopted by 2022 (Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield)
- Statement of Common Ground (2020)
- Agreed portfolio of Spatial Priority Areas (SPAs) and strategic active commercial and housing pipelines (map) (SPA Definitions and Criteria)
- Investment Zones Expression of Interest
- Leeds City Region Sustainable Drainage Systems Guidance (February 2020)
- Leeds City Region Planning Charter (2015)
- West Yorkshire Developer Advice Note (March 2021)
- Commitment to prepare a Zero-Emission Strategic Infrastructure Investment Framework
- Commitment to prepare a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS)
What we are doing to make this happen
Our approach is to build a shared evidence base and, where necessary, develop joint (non-statutory) plans and strategies and to inform local plan development including:
- Leeds City Region Strategic Employment Evidence – Land and Property (February 2021)
- West Yorkshire Local Aggregate Assessment – 2021 Data (December 2022)
- West Yorkshire Marine Aggregates Study (21 December 2022)
- Housing Delivery in the Leeds City Region: Annual Monitoring Report 2021/22 (December 2022) – Annual housing delivery monitoring to provide contextual information on housing market trends
- Spatial Priority Areas Prospectus
We maintain an up to date and comprehensive Statement of Common Ground detailing many matters on which Local Planning Authorities agree.
We also communicate the ambitions we have for our places through strategic narratives and online interactive mapping tools / products. To access our online interactive Leeds City Region Infrastructure Map please click here. This map includes site allocations of our Local Planning Authorities. Moreover, we provide urban design and masterplanning support to Local Planning Authorities.