Taken as a whole, Leeds City Council’s Planning Framework is seeking to help ‘future proof’ Leeds from the impacts of climate change. Focus is placed upon the delivery and management of development in sustainable locations and the need for low carbon infrastructure.
Specific policies encourage energy efficiency and renewable energy, the management and mitigation of flood risks, improving air quality, sustainable design and construction, improved space and access standards and vehicle charging points. Notwithstanding this approach, further planning and building regulation reforms are needed at a central government level, to strengthen the response to the Climate Emergency.
The council will use the Leeds Climate Commission’s roadmap to detail how it could become carbon neutral by 2030. This will include looking at areas such as current building stock, the way that staff move around the city and the wider fleet policy. For example, the council’s staff currently undertake 5 million miles in their own vehicles whilst travelling between sites or customers. The council has an ambition that no council mileage will be undertaken in a petrol or a diesel car. It will also look at how we can invest in our social housing stock to maximise its fuel efficiency.
