Focus stories: Labour’s housing targets are flawed

Headingley Liberal Democrat campaigner, Penny Goodman, and local MP, Greg Mulholland, are calling on the Labour-run Leeds City Council to review its housing targets after admitting they are inaccurate and too high.

Labour’s housing targets are too high, putting precious green space across Leeds under threat from development and will put strain on Headingley’s infrastructure.

Local MP, Greg Mulholland, has slammed the Labour-run Leeds City Council who closed the Royal Park School and are now seeing a crisis over school places in the area. Now Labour wants to build more homes in Headingley, but where will these families send their children to school?

Greg Mulholland MP said:

The housing allocations are based on what are now recognised to be flawed figures meaning more sites are identified for development than are required. I have called for affordable housing on brownfield sites to be prioritised and also campaigned in Parliament to give local people more say on planning issues by introducing a Bill in Parliament to balance the rights of developers and local communities.

The Liberal Democrats voted against the Core Strategy which set the housing target on Leeds City Council because it was inaccurate. Labour and the Conservatives voted for it.

Earlier this year Labour Councillors shocked local residents by voting in favour of allowing developers to build houses and a supermarket on the green playing fields off Victoria Road. The Liberal Democrat Councillor on the Plans Panel voted against following the community campaign with Penny and Greg.

The Council is currently carrying out a consultation with residents to hear their views on the proposed housing sites.

Penny Goodman said:

We understand the need for more affordable homes, but believe they should be on redundant brownfield sites and support the community. Labour needs to listen to the concerns of local residents, so we urge local people to take part in the consultation and have their say.

How you can have your say on the plans:

The Leeds City Council Site Allocations Plans public consultation runs for 8 weeks from 22 September until 5pm 16 November 2015.

You can comment on the plans online here.

Alternatively you can send written comments to: Planning Services, Leonardo Building, 2 Rossington Street, Leeds, LS2 8HD

When sending in written comments, please make sure your letter clearly states which sites you are writing about, preferably by quoting the plan reference number.

You can also sign Greg Mulholland’s petition calling on Leeds City Council to revise their housing targets and prioritise brown field land for the housing our community actually needs here.

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