Home | Place | Environment and regeneration | Planning and strategic sites

Planning and strategic sites in West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire Combined Authority leads on strategic planning across the region - guiding where new homes, businesses and infrastructure should be built to support inclusive growth and tackle climate change.

West Yorkshire Combined Authority is responsible for strategic planning across the region. We set the spatial framework that guides where homes, businesses and infrastructure should be built - working with the five district councils to shape West Yorkshire's future development.

Our Planning and Strategic Sites team develops spatial strategies that address climate change, promote inclusive growth and ensure good design. We work with local authorities and partners to identify strategic sites for housing and employment, manage travel impacts from new development, and coordinate shared infrastructure needs — including transport, digital services, flood protection and waste management.

Strengths and challenges of planning and strategic sites

Positives that the planning and strategic sites team brings for our region:

Supports progress on local plans.
Neighbouring authorities are collaborating well together.
Key projects are being successfully delivered, such as the West Yorkshire Investment Zone.
There is a clear commitment to new regional planning through the West Yorkshire Devolution Deal.

Challenges that the planning and strategic sites team actively manage:

Balancing economic, environmental and social planning priorities can be difficult.
Achieving the ambitious net zero target by 2038.
Building over 9,000 homes in West Yorkshire each year to meet our collective housing need.
Some areas have financial barriers to new developments.
Ongoing flood risks affect many parts of the region.