Controversial figures for the number of houses Leeds is going to need over the coming years look like they could be slashed for a second time.
The Labour council’s housing target of 70,000 new homes (from 2014-28) has come under consistent fire since it was announced, with opposition parties and campaign groups in parts of the city saying it was far too high and didn’t reflect the latest evidence on population growth from the Office of National Statistics.
Back in July it was announced that the initial findings of a council review indicated that “a revised housing need for Leeds may be in the region of 55,000 homes up to 2033”.
Since then, however, the government has issued draft revised guidelines for calculating the figures.
“Using these new figures, the basic housing requirement for Leeds up to 2028 is 42,000 new homes,” says a press release issued by Leeds City Council today.
The council is now proposing to postpone public examination of how many houses are going to go where (known as the Site Allocations Plan) from this month to February/March next year.
The council’s planning chief, Cllr Richard Lewis, said today: “It’s vital that we have the right long-term housing target for the city and that we don’t have any unnecessary loss of greenfield and green belt land.
“The government’s latest consultation proposals came out of the blue for all local authorities and we need to take the time to fully consider their implications. They are also, at this stage, part of a consultation and not necessarily the final word from government.”
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