FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why is there a Yeadon Forum, a Guiseley & Rawdon Forum,  and an Aireborough Neighbourhood Forum – are they all joining up?

It is confusing that all these groups are called Forums as they not for the same purpose.   The Yeadon Forum and Guiseley & Rawdon Forum are run by local councillors to discuss local issues, and listen to local people’s views.   On the other hand, a Neighbourhood Forum is the name the Government have given to a group who are designated by the local council under the Localism Act 2011,  to draw up a Neighbourhood Development Plan for an area.  In a parished area, the designated body is a Parish Council.  So, as Aireborough is not parished then we need an Aireborough Neighbourhood Forum.   The purpose of the Forum is for volunteers to work together to gather evidence and ideas and create a Neighbourhood Development Plan, so it is very much a Forum for proactive doing, rather than simply discussion.

 Why is it called Aireborough when it’s not as it was; what happened to old Aireborough?

Aireborough,  was the combined area of Guiseley, Yeadon and Rawdon from 1937 until Aireborough Council was subsumed into Leeds in 1974, under local Government reorganization.  Aireborough was kept as a ‘major settlement’ area in the Leeds planning system, and the Leeds Development Framework plans for the area of Aireborough.  It makes sense to draw up a Neighbourhood Development Plan for Aireborough now as there has a common history, common issues eg traffic,  common targets in the LDF eg 2,300 houses, and many people use the whole area to live and work in.  So, as both a geographical, and cultural area Aireborough makes sense – even though it has many different parts.  Rawdon, however, will not be part of the Aireborough Neighbourhood Forum, as it has it’s own Parish Council, and regulations do not allow a joint plan.  However,  Rawdon will work closely with Aireborough.

Are there any places for volunteers who can only spare a few minutes and what can they do?

There is a lot of evidence to gather,  issues to agree, solutions to find and plans to draw up.  But, the more people get involved the more the workload can be spread, and the more varied the input.   With so much to do there are many tasks and the ANF needs people with a variety of skills and time available – there is something for everyone.   Please see our ‘get involved’ page.

Aireborough Neighbourhood Forum/Aireborough Neighbourhood Plan – is one for planning and one for other various future problems?

It is the responsible of a designated Neighbourhood Forum to produce a Neighbourhood Development Plan in general conformity with the local authority’s core development strategy – that is the purpose of the Neighbourhood Forum.

If Yeadon doesn’t join ANF will Guiseley put all its housing allocation in Yeadon?
No: Aireborough has a housing target in the draft Leeds Core Strategy (2012) of 2,300 units.  There is also a map of Strategic Housing Land Availability (SHLAA).   It is these SHLAA sites that will be considered for the housing target, and they range across Aireborough.   It does however make sense to consider the housing needs for the area as a whole,  and allocate land where  housing will be most sustainable,  using brown field first.