City eyes prime green-belt sites to satisfy demand for housing

Local authorities across the region are currently putting together plans to ensure enough land is available for house building over the next 16 years and identify areas suitable for development.

In Leeds, it is predicted 70,000 homes will be needed by 2028 to cope with population increases.

To meet this demand, Leeds City Council, which has now launched a consultation on its vision, has said it could be forced to release green-belt land for possible development – which could see more than 11,000 homes built on such prime sites.

On top of this, the local authority, which wants to see brownfield land developed as a priority, says the scale of the population figures mean it could also need to set aside protected sites – many of them greenfield. This could mean more than 9,000 homes being built on these sites.

The council is currently consulting on its blueprint for its future housing, economic and retail needs. It outlines areas of the city where green-belt land is being reviewed to see if it should be earmarked as being suitable for housing in the future.

At this stage no specific sites have been revealed, that will be discussed at a later stage, but the consultation reveals key areas for possible housing growth.

The review will consider releasing green-belt land in Leeds city centre and the surrounding areas: in Garforth, the Guiseley, Yeadon and Rawdon areas, Morley, Otley, Rothwell and Wetherby. Smaller areas including Allerton Bywater, Boston Spa, Bramham, Bramhope, Calverley, Collingham, Pool in Wharfedale and Tingley/West Ardsley will also be considered.

The consultation documents say: “To meet Leeds’s housing and employment requirements it is anticipated that some land will need to be taken out of the green belt to provide for these allocations.”

It says talks will be held with communities, developers and others to determine the extent and precise location of any boundary changes.

Coun Richard Lewis, who is in charge of city development, has said developers are no longer as interested in working in the city centre – they are pushing to develop greenfield locations.

Council chiefs argue, however, the city has a lot of brownfield land which needs developing as a priority and are keen to preserve its distinctive regions and surrounding areas, while ensuring the city centre thrives.

Other parts of Yorkshire are facing the same pressures. Over the next 15 years Ryedale estimates it needs to build 200 homes a year.

Sheffield Council has held public talks on sites for possible future housing and Bradford has estimated it needs an extra 45,500 homes up to 2028.

Council chiefs in Leeds have said while the blueprint would act as a guide to meet future need, it has some doubt that 70,000 properties will actually be needed over the next 16 years.

Housebuilders says they need sites ready to build on to meet demand. They have said a reduction in the number of planning permissions granted in recent years threatens to hamper the chances of economic recovery.

The blueprint will also identify sites suitable for economic and retail development over the coming years.

Copies of the latest stage of Leeds City Council’s Local Development Framework (LDF) are available from libraries or visit www.leeds.gov.uk/ldf and follow the link for current consultations and examinations in public. The public discussions run until April 12.