Otley 2030 is supporting local people to comment on a new Leeds City Council ‘Local Plan’ update by the end of May.
The Otley 2030 team attended a meeting in April with Otley councillors where Leeds City Council officers introduced ‘Leeds Local Plan 2040’. This plan will set the future direction of planning policy in Leeds across a range of important areas and has been split into a number of ‘topics’ for consideration.
A spokesperson for Otley 2030 said "Leeds Local Plan 2040 (or LLP 2040) is still very much in its early stages and is not to be confused with the adopted Local Plan which sets out the council's vision and strategy for the area until 2033. But, the council do want to know what Leeds residents think, so we have an important chance to help shape the future of planning in Leeds, and the consultation period has been extended until the end of May.
"Overall, Otley 2030 is concerned that the plans do not go nearly far enough in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises and that community and community spaces must feature more centrally. For example, natural environment/greenspace/biodiversity does not have its own topic – it is relegated to ‘other policy topic areas’ at the end of the plan!
“We feel that this plan, which takes us nearly 20 years into the future, is not ambitious enough and lacks creativity. Let’s take this opportunity to help Leeds to plan a more positive vision for a greener, fairer 2040.”
The LLP 2040 also has another area of consultation - a ‘Call for sites’. This is where individuals and organisations can identify any sites they feel should be considered in the plan – for example, an area that should be saved for nature, or a disused building that could work as an employment site or a community hub.
To identify a site, you can fill in an online form or email llp2040@leeds.gov.uk and title your email, ‘Call for Sites’.
The Leeds Local Plan 2040 website states that the consultation period ended on March 24 but Otley 2030 has been assured that comments will still be taken into account until the end of May. The email address for all comments is llp2040@leeds.gov.uk
Residents can view the plans online at www.leeds.gov.uk/campaign/leeds-local-plan-2040
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