Planning

Welcome to our Planning Page:

This page is here to keep our community up to date with the latest news and updates on the Local Plan and other planning matters

We’ll add new information as soon as we receive it, so please check the page regularly.

Outline Planning Application for 1000 new dwellings:

Land North of Westgate Hill Street of Tong Lane, Tong. Bradford.

Please see the template letter at the bottom of the page that can be used to object to the development.

Alternatively, please contact the clerk:

clerk@drighlingtonparishcouncil.gov.uk

for the template letter to be emailed to you.

Planning Committee:

The Parish Council has recently formed a Planning Committee. The members of the Planning Committee are:

Cllr Pam Roebuck – Chairperson
Cllr Mick Egan
Cllr Rebecca Hewitt
Cllr George Hughes
Cllr Bernie Kidger

The Planning Committee has its own Terms Of Reference which is located at the bottom of the page.

Leeds City Council are updating the Leeds Local Plan.

The local plan is a legal document that guides development and land use in the Leeds district, setting out Leeds City Council’s vision and strategy for the area until 2042.

It provides Leeds City Council with a framework for planning decisions, ensuring that development is considered in a manner that meets the needs of both the community and the environment.

The proposed timeframe from Leeds City Council for the local plan is broken down into six stages, which are listed below. Leeds City Council are at stage 3 at the moment, consultation July 2025 – September 2025.

1. Initial Scoping Consultation: February 2023 – March 2023:
In 2023, we consulted on the scope of ‘Leeds Local Plan 2040’ and the topics that it should be covering. As part of this, we also undertook a ‘call for sites’ that enabled residents, landowners or developers to submit sites that they would like to be considered for inclusion in the Plan. This is a very early stage of plan-making where you can influence the direction of travel before any decisions are made.

2. Analysis of Evidence: March 2023 -June 2025:
The comments received through the scoping consultation were used to help inform the issues that the Plan will need to address, and the potential options for this. During this period we also prepared a lot of detailed evidence to inform the issues and options for the new Local Plan. A Site Assessment Methodology was developed and used to undertake an initial assessment of potential sites. The impact that changing national planning policy has on future planning policies in Leeds has also been considered. Partly in response to this, a decision was made to pause work on the climate change focussed ‘Leeds Local Plan Update’ and to integrate the topics that it would have covered into a comprehensive new ‘Leeds Local Plan’. If the evidence indicates that there is a need for new land allocations to be identified, the site suggestions made through the ‘Call for Sites’ process will undergo a detailed assessment of their suitability, and those that could be considered suitable for development will be also be published for consultation at the ‘Issues and Options’ stage.

3. Issues and Options Consultation: July 2025 – September 2025 :
The Issues and Options consultation will outline the key challenges and opportunities for the city. It also set out key options for growth, sites and planning policies. During this consultation we are asking people to share their views about the issues, options and potential sites for the new Leeds Local Plan. As part of this, the ‘call for sites’ has also be re-opened to enable new sites to be put forward for considered by developers, landowners or members of the public. To support the consultation we will be holding a series of faceto-face events in local communities to help people understand what is in the Local Plan and how they can share their views about the options. Alongside this, we will be continuing to prepare our evidence base, including using new Government guidance to carry out a Green Belt review and working closely with the Gypsy and Traveller community to assess their needs and potential site options.

4. Analysis and Evidence Gathering: September 2025 – Spring 2026:
The comments received through the scoping consultation were used to help inform the issues that the Plan will need to address, and the potential options for this. During this period we also prepared a lot of detailed evidence to inform the issues and options for the new Local Plan. A Site Assessment Methodology was developed and used to undertake an initial assessment of potential sites. The impact that changing national planning policy has on future planning policies in Leeds has also been considered. Partly in response to this, a decision was made to pause work on the climate change focussed ‘Leeds Local Plan Update’ and to integrate the topics that it would have covered into a comprehensive new ‘Leeds Local Plan’. We will take into account all comments made through the consultation, and any new evidence submitted. We will also prepare any further evidence that is needed to help prepare the plan, and consider in more detail the infrastructure needed to support different strategy options and sites. We will use to the comments made through the consultation to finalise the Site Assessment Methodology. This will be used to assess any new sites that have been submitted, and update the assessment of any sites that are amended through the consultation or (where necessary) to reflect any changes that are made to the assessment methodology. The evidence and consultation responses will be used to help write draft planning policies for Leeds. They will also be used to identify which sites the Council considers should be allocated to meet development needs, and what the requirements for development on each site would be.

5. Draft Local Plan Consultation: Summer 2026 – Upcoming:
We will undertake public consultation on the proposed policies and sites. The responses to this consultation will be shared with the planning inspector who examines the Plan at the next stage.

6. Submission to Government Examination: Winter 2026 – Summer 2027:
The Plan, along with any amendments proposed following the consultation, will be submitted to the Government. It will then undergo an ‘examination in public’ overseen by an independent planning inspector, who will listen to everyone’s views and decide whether the Plan is ‘sound’. This next stage will be a Public Examination conducted by independent, Government-appointed Planning Inspectors.

7. New Local Plan Adopted:
If the inspector considers the plan to be ‘sound’ it can be adopted by the Council as planning policy. Once adopted, it will be the primary basis for making decisions on planning application across Leeds

Stage 3 Consultation July – 2025 – September 2025:

The Consultation is now open and closes on the 15th September.

The information on the Leeds Local Plan can be found on the Commonplace Portal. Please see below the link:

https://leedslocalplan.commonplace.is/

Once you have registered, you can then click on the below link

http://leedslocalplanoutersouth.commonplace.is/?_gl=1*pl3098*_gcl_au*MTkwMDMyOTAyNi4xNzUxMzc2NzIwLjgxMjcyNDI2OS4xNzU1NjE4N

The link will take you directly to the Outer South Sites:

And then just scroll down the page on the Commonplace portal and there are 12 sites in Drighlington and the surrounding area for Gildersome.

You click on each one and leave your comments.

Below are the 12 sites for information only.

LPS00991 – Land at Back Lane/Whitehall Road Drighlington.