Over £22m has been distributed by Leeds City Council over the past five years to communities across the city, through planning agreements reached with developers as part of the contributions they make on new developments.
A raft of work has and is currently being undertaken by the council through section 106 money to support a wide-range of projects in key areas that include transport, education, affordable housing, green space initiatives and regeneration.
Green space initiatives which have benefited from this major investment include Queens Park and Rodley Park. Included in the £290,000 scheme at Queen’s Park are plans for two new play areas and a multi-use games area. New wider pathways and park furniture will also be provided.
At Rodley Park, new entrance gates, benches, picnic tables, and bins will be installed in a £77,217 scheme, which also includes the removal and relaying of pathways and drainage works.
Funding was also provided to part-fund 25 new affordable homes in West Leeds on three sites, which were completed a full, two years ago. £700,000 is also currently under consideration or allocated towards affordable housing schemes.
Contributions have also been allocated by the council to fund specified highways work including bus stop enhancements, traffic regulation orders and a range of schemes, while in transport, section 106 money has provided significant support to major projects such as New Generation Transport (NGT).
Councillor Peter Gruen, Leeds City Council executive board member with responsibility for neighbourhoods, planning and support services said:
“We are working extremely hard as a council to ensure that contributions made by housing developers through section 106 agreements are distributed as quickly as possible to support a wide-range of schemes in our communities.
“I am pleased therefore that in the past five years over £22m has being distributed across our city by the council to support significant improvements in key areas including education, transport and highways.
“The allocation of section 106 funding can sometimes be a difficult task, but it is absolutely vital that we ensure every project fulfils the aspirations of both the council and our residents. This can mean that occasionally it may take longer to allocate some of our funds, but we will not cut corners to ensure the work we are supporting is efficient, effective and delivered properly.”
