OTLEY'S MP has met with Leeds planning officers after the dramatic pausing of proposals for a major housing development.

The controversial application to build a new road and hundreds of houses on the outskirts of the town has prompted widespread criticism and a campaign of opposition led by the East Of Otley Action Group and The ODD Campaign.

Leeds City Council announced in January that it was pausing the application "to consider how the proposals can be developed further to address the issues and concerns raised".

Now Leeds North West MP Alex Sobel has met with planning officers to find out about the proposed next steps in more detail.

After the meeting he said planning officers were seeking to bring forward a higher quality plan that addresses community concerns about biodiversity, affordability and housing type.

Although there is no fixed timescale as yet, it was suggested that a period of ‘meaningful consultation’ could begin this month ahead of the proposed formal, statutory consultation in November 2022 which would effectively restart the planning process with a view to a planning decision in the Spring of 2023. The changes to the timetable have been made possible by a provisional agreement by Homes England to vary timescales for the delivery of the relief road which it is funding beyond the previous March 2023 deadline.

Mr Sobel said:“I am really pleased that the Council is taking onboard the objections that I and others in the community raised about the proposed scheme. This will be a significant development that will have a big impact on our infrastructure, landscape and biodiversity and we need a scheme which fulfils planning requirements and that is reflective of the community’s needs. From my involvement on the parliamentary committee scrutinising the Environment Bill, I know that developments will have to be delivered in a way which helps to reduce and replace any biodiversity loss during the building phase, and crucially also deliver a 10% boost to the area’s biodiversity. It’s good news that Leeds City Council are fully committed to this and that this will be non-negotiable in the East of Otley development. I’ll continue to work with all parties to ensure the new plan delivers the maximum benefit to Otley.”

Richard Davies, Labour’s town councillor for Danefield, who also attended the meeting, said: “I was heartened by the way in which Council officers have responded to the community’s concerns and their emphasis on meaningful engagement with the community as the new Master Plan is developed. There is a recognition that the Otley Neighbourhood Plan’s clear policy statement and design principles are central to this and that the issue of bio-diversity net gain cannot be ignored. Planners noted that a balance will need to be struck in the revised proposals, but the scheme that emerges has to be significantly better than that was submitted last year and offer a development that meets the community’s expectations. I hope that the willingness to listen and reflect on feedback shown by the Council is now matched by the developers and that they treat the community with the respect they deserve.”