Please bear with us as we finalising our new website. It is under construction and will be live soon. Essential maintenance is being carried out.
A Book of Condolence is available at St. Margaret's Church and at Morrisons to enable people to express their tributes to Her Majesty, our Queen. Chairman of Horsforth Town Council, Tracy Stones and Vice Chairman, Simon Dowling attended St. Margarets Church on Friday 9th September 2022 to mark their respect.
The Book of Condolences will be placed at The Museum for posterity.
Notice of meetings
We have published notices of the Council's meetings for 2022-23. They can be found by clicking on the "Agenda and Minutes 2022/23" tab on the left or by clicking on this link
Perfectly Pitched - lunchtime concerts
We were very pleased to be able to give a grant to support lunchtime concerts organised by Perfectly Pitched. The concerts are free and accessible to all. More details of dates and times can be seen in the poster below.
Good Citizen and Young Achiever
PDF of the poster can be viewed by clicking here
Nomination forms available by clicking on this link
Electric Bike SchemeLeeds City Council have an electric bike trial scheme, where you can try out an electric bike and see if it's for you. There is a waiting list until March 2021 so now might be the ideal time to add your name. Full details of the electric bike trial scheme can be found here.
Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)
The CIL is a planning charge for developers and landowners which is used to support development of local infrastructure. Leeds City Council collects it and has to pay a proportion to the local communities where the development takes place.
Click here to find out more about CIL and to see the latest report on CIL income and expenditure.in Horsforth.
Horsforth Neighbourhood Plan
Horsforth Town Council would like to thank all those who came out to vote in support of the Neighbourhood Plan.The vote was 91.35% in favour of the plan.You can view the declaration of result notice here.
The adoption of the plan is a very positive outcome for Horsforth.
- ·
Green spaces in Horsforth are special and
valuable. The NP contains policies that promote the retention of green spaces
and provides protection to some that are not otherwise protected. Some of the
boundaries of Horsforth are defined by becks. These watercourses and the
associated land adjacent to them are recognised in the NP as important
wildlife, amenity and recreation networks.
- ·
There are a number of special buildings and
structures in Horsforth that have no protection within planning law at present.
These buildings and structures are given Non-Designated Heritage Status in the
NP. Some examples are the memorial boulder stone and lime trees on Stanhope
Drive, and the Emmanuel Baptist Church.
- ·
Character areas, previously identified in the
Horsforth Design Statement, are confirmed and described in more detail
alongside specific requirements for any developments taking place within those
areas. This aims to ensure that new development fits in well with what is
already there.
- ·
The four Conservation Areas (CA) in Horsforth
are recognised in the NP and in e.g. Horsforth Town Street CA, a specific
policy is introduced to indicate how shop front lighting should be, so that its
impact is managed, especially where it affects nearby residents.
- ·
Three new local heritage areas are recognised.
The Brownberries and its associated buildings originating in the mid-18th
century, the Victorian and Edwardian villas of North Road and Scotland Lane,
and the “arts and craft” housing style of the 1930’s – 1950’s on upper West End
Lane and the Southway Estate. Any development in these areas must take the
style of these existing buildings into account.
- ·
Leeds Development Plan has identified a number
of sites in Horsforth on which housing can be built. The NP identifies five of
these and specifically details requirements that must be considered when they
are developed. The largest of these sites is the former Horsforth (Park Lane)
Campus and its crucial location, feeding
traffic onto the A65 and Horsforth Roundabout.
- ·
Having an NP will mean that the Town Council
(TC) attracts an additional 10% from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL - a
new-house tax). Currently the TC receives 15% of CIL. This will rise to 25%
once the plan is adopted by LCC. This money is to be spend of the provision of
community services.
- ·
The NP recognises the need for housing provision
of particular type, and has a policy encouraging the provision of accommodation
specifically designed for the elderly and providing a mix of tenures; small
starter and family homes; and housing for independent living.
- ·
The NP notes the predominance of hot food
takeaways in the town and seeks that these should not undermine the vitality
and viability of existing retail uses to meet day to day local shopping needs.
The NP recognises that a concentration of these might detrimentally impact on
the community in respect of amenity of the area and traffic generation, and in
evening opening, the effects (including parking and noise) on residential
accommodation.
- ·
Parking in Horsforth can sometimes be a
nightmare as well as the impact of school time drop off and pick-ups. The NP
seeks to ensure the existing provision of both private and public car parks and
supports the provision of additional parking created at e.g. the Fink Hill Car
Park. Any new schools should include specific off-road drop-off and pick-up
areas. There is also a policy promoting improved cycling, walking and
equestrian routes.
These are a
small selection of the benefits of having a Neighbourhood Plan. The purpose of
the plan is to influence local planning in Horsforth when it comes to the green
environment, the built environment, employment and shopping, housing, community
facilities and services and traffic and transport. In particular the plan gives
local people a greater say in how the town will develop in the years up to
2028.
The Town
Council has requested, and Leeds City Council has agreed, that the date
for the Horsforth NP Referendum will be Thursday 27th February 2020.
All
those within the Horsforth Town Council area and on the Horsforth
Electoral Roll will be notified of the Referendum and directed to the
final Horsforth Neighbourhood Plan and its supporting documents.
You can see these documents
here.
The
Referendum will ask the simple question “Do you want Leeds City Council
to use the Neighbourhood Plan for Horsforth to help it decide planning
applications in the neighbourhood area?” A majority decision will adopt
the plan or not.
Purchase of 3&5 The Green and The Stables
Update 27 February 2019: Council resolved to apply for approval to take out a loan of up to £290,000
Click here for link to full-sized poster
The agenda and report for this meeting is now available.
You can also download the business plan.
Please contact the office if you would like more information.
Goodbye to plastic cups
Horsforth Town Council is working towards stopping use of single-use plastics.
As a starting point, the Council has stopped using disposable plastic cups during its meetings - councillors will be bringing in their own cup or mug if they want a drink!
The Council would urge businesses and schools in Horsforth to think about how they can reduce their use of single-use plastics.