Vision
Welcome to the Best City Ambition—where dreams of a utopia in Leeds are woven together with threads of health, inclusivity, and ambitious visions for zero carbon footprints. It’s basically like Hogwarts, but with fewer wands and more planning policies. The Council ardently champions ‘Inclusive Growth’ and ‘Sustainable Infrastructure’ because nothing spells out viability like bureaucratic jargon. Our community centers are not just quaint spots for a cup of coffee; they’re the economic lifeboats we so desperately cling to. And let’s not forget Leeds City Centre—the cultural overlord striving to elevate our local endeavors onto a regional pedestal, dripping with economic vitality.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) chimed in (para 86, if you’re keeping score) to remind us that town centers are the “heart” of local life. “Support them,” they say, as if whispering sweet nothings to retail venues. However, they also acknowledge that our beloved shopping districts are going through a midlife crisis, morphing into a digital haven as our shopping habits evolve faster than a cat meme goes viral.
Current Issues
Ah, the retail landscape—gone are the days when we’d venture out with zeal to buy an actual VHS tape. The pandemic was the cherry on top of our e-commerce cake, catapulting our shopping habits into the abyss of online convenience. With a Core Strategy defining a lush network of 61 centers, including our number one hangout, Leeds City Centre, we must ask: Are we really just subscribing to a collective delusion that it’s still the hub of our existence?
The introduction of Class E (not to be confused with that old mixtape you hold onto) emerged on September 1, 2020, allowing a free-for-all transition between town center uses. Need a medical consultation with your latte? Sure, why not! Just try not to trip over policy RTC2 and 3, which exist now in an outdated limbo since A1 evaporated into the ether. Can we get a moment of silence for our once-beloved retail classifications? The NPPF has even scrapped references to shopping frontages, leaving those of us who remember their glory days a bit misty-eyed.
Let’s not ignore the 2019 ‘Hot Food Takeaway SPD,’ which was supposed to keep takeaways from clustering around secondary schools. Since its inception, it’s been revisited like a soap opera, with new national guidance prompting us to tackle obesity and litter like it’s a Saturday morning cartoon villain. More regulations? Yes, please! Maybe we can squeeze in a new cooking show on healthy takeout options while we’re at it.
What Might New Policy Do to Address This?
Brace yourselves, folks! The LLP 2040 is here to address how our charming centers are adapting to summer blockbuster changes in shopping trends. Perhaps it’ll address what happens when local planning authorities can do little more than watch as stores shift into different classes faster than you can say “where’s my package?” This will surely keep lawyers busy interpreting what is and isn’t acceptable. Policy tweaks could either clarify Class E or simply complicate things further, like updating your phone only to find out it breaks half your apps. That said, let’s also not forget the vibrant design policies needed to keep our shopfronts looking fresh instead of straight out of a 90s sitcom.
Current commercial needs are mostly satisfied through chaotic changes of use, which may or may not include transforming former warehouses into chic lofts. The Class E evolution is like the Game of Thrones of planning—lots of shifting alliances but no predictability. And while we’re at it, let’s ponder just how to revise that 20-year-old City Centre boundary like it’s a vintage dress that no longer fits us. Yes, dear reader, the party is changing, and we’re still deciding whether to wear sequins or linen.
What Do We Need to Get There?
So what’s the agenda? For starters, a review of Class E will require a treasure map of evidence that reads like an unsolved mystery novel. Meanwhile, a review of the City Centre boundary will have planners flipping through their dusty old books. Perhaps a hot take on the ‘Hot Food Takeaway SPD’ might lead to some exciting new regulations—all while trying not to sound like a food cop.
Have Your Say
Feeling chatty? The consultation is rolling out for six whole weeks from Friday, February 10 to Friday, March 24, 2023. That’s like a lifetime in the world of fleeting public attention spans, so don’t be shy. Dive in and engage with your inner urban planner—or at least pretend to. Go ahead, make your voice echo through the hallowed halls of planning policy!
Complete the online survey, and let’s see if we can shake things up a bit. After all, who wouldn’t want to indulge in the delightful chaos of city planning while munching on takeout?
