City 50,000 homes plan a step closer
HOUSING: A 15-year plan to build more than 50,000 homes in Leeds is one step closer after council decision-makers met this week.
Plans for a review into Leeds City Council’s Local Plan Core Strategy, which decides where and when new homes should be built in the city, were discussed at two meetings yesterday.
A 15-YEAR plan to build more than 50,000 homes in Leeds is one step closer after council decision-makers met this week.
Plans for a review into Leeds City Council’s Local Plan Core Strategy, which decides where and when new homes should be built in the city, were discussed at two meetings yesterday.
The authority looks likely to back plans for a target of more than 50,000 homes to be built in the district by 2033.
A council officer told the Development Plan Panel meeting that feedback from members of the public told the council they felt this figure was too high, while developers argued the targets were too low.
But it was the issue of affordable housing that caused the most heated comments.
The Government defines affordable rented housing as social housing with rent controls, making sure it costs tenants no more than 80 per cent of the average local market rent. Many have criticised this policy, as it can mean rents are still too high for many families in some areas.
Coun Barry Anderson (Con, Adel and Wharfedale) told the meeting: “We need to explain what this means. The vast majority of people out there think affordable housing is actually affordable.
“It’s causing massive problems out there – developers make a big thing about creating affordable housing, but it’s no more affordable than flying through the air, and people are falling for it.”
The local plan proposes that between 15 and 35 per cent of new builds be affordable housing in outer areas of the city, but the figure drops to only seven per cent for inner-city areas.
The government has given each local authority a target of how many houses it needs to build over a set period of time. These targets are revised every few years.
It is then up to council planners to decide where the new houses should be built. This forms the council’s local plan. In 2017, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government gave Leeds a target of 42,384 new homes by 2033.
However, Leeds City Council’s executive board felt this was not enough to keep up with the city’s growing population and economy. A report commissioned by the authority suggested the figure should be 51,952.
Leader of Leeds City Council’s Conservatives group Coun Andrew Carter (Con, Calverley and Farsley) told the panel: “We preferred a housing requirement based on the government’s figure – this remains our position, and we will be promoting this figure.”
Development plan panel chair coun Peter Gruen (Lab, Cross Gates and Whinmoor) hit back: “When the vote was taken in this matter, there were abstentions from the opposition and the vote was almost unanimous.”
The panel voted to recommend the review to the council’s executive committee.
Councillors were invited to comment on the plans at the Infrastructure, Investment and Inclusive Growth scrutiny board. Refering to the target, Coun Gruen said: “We simply disagree with the government – if you allow for any kind of economic ambition and growth, the higher figure is much more viable.”
A decision by the executive board will be made on Wednesday, June 27, when it is expected to be sent to full council for final approval. Once the plans are approved, they are then sent to the secretary of state for Housing, Communities and Local Government and reviewed by an independent planning inspector. A decision from the government is expected in the autumn.
The vast majority think affordable housing is actually affordable. Coun Barry Anderson.