Leeds City Council has launched a consultation on its Local Plan Update. The consultation started on 19th July for a period of 8 weeks and the Conucil are inviting views from anyone who lives, works, studies or has a business in the Leeds district. The consultation is focussed on climate change issues, titled ‘Your Neighbourhood, Your City, Your Planet’. It will focus on ways the Council can shape planning policy to reduce our city’s impact on the environment and help the city achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. 

The Council are asking people what they think and feel about issues regarding climate change in Leeds and in local neighbourhoods, as well as feedback on emerging ideas on the following topic areas:

• Carbon reduction - changing the way buildings are built, and how we generate renewable energy.
• Flood risk - making our communities resilient to the impact of flooding, one of the most direct impacts of climate change that Leeds faces.
• Green infrastructure - making the most of our green spaces and natural environment, to help improve the health and well-being of our citizens.
• Place-making – guiding new development to places that offer the best opportunities for active travel and public transport, health & well-being and making the best use of communities’ assets to create ’20-minute neighbourhoods’ where people want to live, work and play. 
• Sustainable infrastructure – integrating low emissions transport and improved digital connectivity, helping reduce journeys by car.

The current stage of consultation will produce a scoping report. At the moment respondents are asked for their views on what the plan could contain and the direction of travel on these policies - are they ambitious enough, are they relevant and will they deliver what the city needs. The consultation is open until 13 September 2021.

There is a dedicated website http://www.leeds.gov.uk/lpu that is home to this consultation. This includes separate sections for the different topic areas, which are available in detailed and short formats, along with some response forms so people can submit their views. The material is available on the website in accessible html format as well as pdf.

Over the coming weeks, the Council will be hosting a series of webinars so you can find out more about the draft Local Plan and its individual topics if you wish, and there will also be information on the Council’s YouTube channel. We will be depositing printed copies of the consultation material in libraries over the next week, and we can also be contacted directly via email lpu@leeds.gov.uk or telephone (0113) 378763. Sign up for webinars on the five key topics. 

Photo by Illiya Vjestica on Unsplash