Neighbourhood Plan Preliminary Survey Results
Published: 20 June 2025
Background
The concept of a Neighbourhood Plan was introduced as part of the 2011 Localism Act and they are intended to enable local communities to better shape their area.
The Neighbourhood Plan also directly influences planning decisions made by Leeds City Council. Decisions on new developments (both granting and refusing planning permission) often refer to elements of the Horsforth Neighbourhood Plan. So, the Plan allows the community to indirectly shape the future of Horsforth through the planning decisions made by Leeds City Council. It also provides Horsforth Town Council with guidance on which to support or object to planning applications in their monthly Planning, Licencing and Traffic committee meeting.
Our Neighbourhood Plan was approved by the City Council following public consultation in 2019 and is due to be renewed in 2028. The Town Council have set up a working group to carry out this exercise, and the survey within Horsforth Matters is the first step in the process. In this round of consultation, the Town Council sought to understand whether the public felt the Neighbourhood Plan is meeting the objectives set out in 2019. The survey also sought to understand the priorities of the public for future development in Horsforth.
Summary of Findings
Of the 130 respondents, just half (65) had heard of the Neighbourhood Plan. Generally, where members of the public had heard of the Plan, their opinion of its impact was larger.
The top three issues covered by the Plan were as follows:
1. Protecting Horsforth’s natural heritage, including landscape and green space (71 respondents)
2. Development and growth of local businesses (50 respondents)
3. Preserving Horsforth’s character and appearance and conserving Horsforth’s built heritage assets (49 respondents)
Residents had a slightly better than average opinion of the impact of the Plan on these priorities (scoring 3.1, 3.1 and 3.2 respectively for these three issues).
As free-form comments, traffic, crime and the availability of services and facilities for local people were consistently highlighted.