The Council has recommended that the Board approve the publication to allow a public consultation on the strategy and invite representations. The strategy proposes that on average 4, 375 homes should be built per year in Leeds for the next 16 years.
The increased housing targets are partly in response to an expected population increase in Leeds of over 100, 000 people by 2028, according to a Strategic Housing Market Assessment.
Leeds must increase its housing targets to accommodate the predicted increase of Leeds' population, the Council said. The target would mean a total requirement of 70,000 homes by 2028.
"There is urgency to take the core strategy forward," the Council report to the executive board said. The Core Strategy is a basis to address the Council's priorities and to provide a strategic framework for the preparation of development plans and neighbourhood plans.
To meet the increased housing requirements, the Council plans to change the designation of some of its green belt land. "It is anticipated that some land will need to be taken out of the Green Belt to provide for these allocations", the Council said.
The report shows that whilst there were only 1,686 new homes built in Leeds in the years 2010/11, in the previous five years before that around 3,100 homes were built per year. This means that there is likely to be a decrease in housing completions in the forthcoming years, the Council said.
If Leeds Council's executive board approves the Core Strategy, the Council will conduct a six-week public consultation at the end of the month. Any subsequent changes would be considered before a draft plan is submitted to the secretary of state this summer, ahead of an autumn public examination.
The Council was unable to confirm whether the board had approved the Core Strategy as Out-Law went to press, as the executive board meeting was not concluded.
The Core Strategy is the main document setting out the strategic level policies and vision to guide the delivery of development and investment decisions, and the overall future for the district.
