by John Baron
People living in Farnley are being urged to have their say on a planning blueprint which could lead to hundreds of new homes being allocated to greenbelt land.
As reported by WLD, views are currently being sought on the Leeds Local Plan, a legal framework that will set out Leeds City Council’s vision and strategy for sustainable growth up to 2042.
The plan will guide how land will be used and developed. It influences planning decisions to ensure any developments meet the needs of the community and the environment.
A range of potential sites included in the consultation have put forward by developers, landowners, residents and others. They are not suggestions or endorsements from the council but were put forward in a ‘call for sites’ that the council must evaluate to see whether they are suitable for development.
Last week a public meeting was organised by concerned residents and attended by more than 100 people at New Farnley Community Centre.
Campaigners have now issued an update on their efforts to raise awareness of the plan – with volunteers so far delivering more than 2,000 leaflets.
They posted on Facebook: “This evening we have had a meeting to discuss plans on what we can do over the next 12 days before the deadline to support raising awareness.
“We have been working hard in the background giving as much of our time as we can to get the message out to residents and we have actions to follow up on from tonight’s meeting, in hope to raise awareness and support for our campaign to Save Our Green Belt.
“Our fabulous volunteers are ready to get back out posting and we have received around 100 more printed leaflets tonight – thank you to all our printing volunteers.
“Huge thanks to our postal volunteers – a small but mighty team have posted around 2,000 leaflets so far, thank you for your precious time and support.
“HOWEVER, our efforts in raising awareness only support if you ACT and add your opinions on the portal, on each of the sites, anyone aged 13+ can submit an opinion.
“Please support and ACTION the submissions to try and preserve our village.”
Potential development sites in Farnley include:
- An estimated 408 properties at Lawns Lane, New Farnley.
- Estimated 53 houses on land at Gildersome Lane.
- An estimated housing capacity of 298 for land west of Ochre House Farm, Wood Lane, East of Harper Farm/Harper Farm Cottages, Whitehall Road.
- Land to the north and south of Gamble Lane, Farnley, has been proposed for up to 354 properties.
A further meeting about the Leeds Local Plan will take place with council officers and Cllr Adrian McCluskey (Lab, Farnley & Wortley) at New Farnley Community Centre on Tuesday, 9 September at 5pm.
- The Leeds Local Plan consultation runs until 15 September 2025. The on-line portal can be found by visiting the website.
- A list of proposed development sites in inner and outer West Leeds can be found here.