Planning - Part I
The Strategic View
The past year has been a period of major change in the process of strategic planning, with the City Council working towards the Local Development Framework (LDF) which will replace the Unitary Development Plan as the statutory basis for planning in Leeds. Rather than an unwieldy document, which may be out of date before it is published, the LDF will be a suite of Plans and Guidance Papers which, within an overall strategy, can be adapted more quickly. By commenting on the documents published to date and participating in workshops, the Trust’s Planning Committee has played a positive role in the development of key policies such as the City Centre Area Action Plan which will guide the medium term planning of the city centre.
An important issue here is the extent to which the development industry is leading the Planning Authority. The Trust’s view is that the Council, as the elected authority and informed by general or project-specific community engagement, should set out a ‘wish-list’ for the city – overall land-use parameters, key pedestrian routes, public realm enhancements, new green spaces, public amenities, building heights and the like. This will help ensure delivery of the community’s vision and give developers some clarity as to where to build what. Such policies are emerging through the LDF process but our concern is that these may be too little, too late – many key sites have already been developed.
During the present development boom, the under-resourced City Council is having to respond to current planning applications on a case-by-case basis or with reference to yet unpublished strategies. Unadvisedly, an overall Development Framework for the tremendously important brownfield sites between the river and Kirkstall Road has been abandoned and applications are being submitted for individual sites. At least the plans we have seen for the Yorkshire Chemicals site in the area do appreciate the need to plan for the whole of what will be a far more extensive growth zone. And while a Tall Buildings Policy for the city centre is still in preparation there are in the pipeline 22 new tall buildings (over 20 storeys) including 54-storey towers in Wellington Street (Lumiere), Sovereign Street (the Criterion Place ‘Kissing Towers’) and schemes in Little London. We have supported Lumiere and the ‘Kissing Towers’ but an uncontrolled proliferation of tall buildings will change the face of the city dramatically and might well be regretted in the future. The way things are going, they will be completed or committed before the policy has been the subject of wide consultation and is adopted.
Community Engagement
We have continued to make the case for greater community involvement in planning at all levels. The Planning Committee has provided an informed and independent view on development proposals and it is heartening that even more applicants are presenting their plans to us at an early stage. The future adoption of the Statement of Community Involvement (a document which will set out when and how people should be engaged in planning policies and proposals) could significantly change the landscape but we have continued to urge that the City Council and developers should put more effort into such exercises. There are good examples where developers have held exhibitions, circulated local residents and set up websites but these examples are still the exception rather than the norm.
While we have had to concentrate on the city centre, the Trust has also sought to advise its affiliated societies around Leeds about ways in which they can get involved in the planning process. We have also commented on architecturally interesting schemes at Kirkstall District Centre and in the centre of Meanwood, together with maintaining a watching brief on the redevelopment of some of the city’s historic villas in areas such as Headingley, Moortown and Roundhay.