[Skychaser 2005]

I remember nearly 2 years ago when Labour lost power in the local elections to a alliance of the Liberals and Conservatives, posting my concerns about Labour's good record on moving forward and approving new highrise buildings and wondering if the Libs/Cons would slow the whole process down, or be unsympathetic with the whole ideal.

With the local elections nearly upon us, do you think the Lib/Con alliance have helped to drive forward our skyscraper ideals for Leeds?

I think they have done a good job with little resistance to the many new applications going through planning.

They seem to be positive towards driving our city skywards.

Would Labour continue this if they won power back in 2 weeks? Its going to be intersting to see what happens.

 

[namsingh]

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/press relea...style=&appId=220BCFA4B389004C802571570035BC18

This article/event will probably highlight some of the views of the council going forward in terms of City development.

 

[Leeds No.1]

1) I think Labour would continue it
2) I thought Leeds generally was Labour?
3) I quite like Labour and Lib Dem not Tory though
4) Yes the council are pro scraper- almost definetley although they need a more efficent system in getting planning applications through quicker. It often seems to be the developers that let us down not the council. Like companies going bust or whatever..

 

[LeedsLad]

Although Leeds council is made up of more Labour councillors than any other party, the Conservatives, LibDems and Greens formed a coalition to take overall control of the council. Changes so far include increased investment in roads and parks, funded by savings in admin costs

 

[Leeds No.1]

oh ok. I don't really like conservative; years ago when they were in power all our cities were in a bit of a state- since Labour have taken control in most cities they have improved alot. In the end all parties want to make places the best they can and give people a better life, the difference is the way they do it. Thats why I think they wouldn't change the current construction boom seeing as it quite clearly has improved every city in the country.

 

[Rob]

I believe major planning decisions are made by a cross party panel, so although policies may be led by the ruling party, individual decisions (which are often outside the unitary plan anyway) are made by the planning panels.

I think the current Council leaders are a good bunch as far as driving the city forward goes, Liz Minkin is excellant, she gets as excited as us about the best skyscraper proposals that come through.

 

[Simon22]

oh ok. I don't really like conservative; years ago when they were in power all our cities were in a bit of a state- since Labour have taken control in most cities they have improved alot. In the end all parties want to make places the best they can and give people a better life, the difference is the way they do it. Thats why I think they wouldn't change the current construction boom seeing as it quite clearly has improved every city in the country.

No1, your simplistic view of the world is sometimes a little naive. The UK economy was going through structural change in the 1980's mainly as a result of global pressures. This meant many of our traditional industries were in decline (something which had been going on since the 1960's but the 80's was the final death throw for many industries such as steel and shipbuilding) and some cities suffered. Leeds for example which had one of the most diverse economies in the 1980's suffered far less than places likes Sheffield and Liverpool and this undoubtedly helped lessen the economic impact of this structural change in our city. As a result of these changes the UK economy needed restructuring and moving towards a more service based economy which is something that the Tories undertook. It was painful for many cities but it has to be done and for example the freeing up of the financial markets allowed London to boom as the finance capital of Europe to benefit of the whole of the UK. It also facilitated the construction boom of the last decade which in underpinned by the growth of service industries.

The current success of the UK economy and boom in our cities has it's roots firmly in the economic reforms of the 1980's, something which even the likes of Blair and Brown will grudgingly acknowledge. Remember also that the boom in Leeds began in the late 1980's under Thatchers government and a Labour Council that was pro-business, certainly far more pro-business that the cranks running Liverpool and to a lesser extent Sheffield! The Tories were responsible for introducing the Development Corporations and other quangos designed to rejuvenate areas in many of our urban centres and also approved many light-rail schemes, certainly far more than the current labour administration.

BTW - I am no Tory, never voted for them in my life. I just think they get a very bad press in certain circles!
.

 

[Alexi Lalas]

and looking at both thatcher's and blair's reign in power they're are massive similarities between the two. both are ideological leaders, both believe in a free market economy, hence privatisation (although inflation was also a factor for this) and although they are both liberal in economics they were/are both conservative in their social policies.

forgive me for quoting mandelson but in his words 'we are all Thatcherites now'.

 

[di Livio]

Shouldn't we be above politics on this forum?
Quite literally above politics.

 

[jimbo]

I believe major planning decisions are made by a cross party panel, so although policies may be led by the ruling party, individual decisions (which are often outside the unitary plan anyway) are made by the planning panels.

I think the current Council leaders are a good bunch as far as driving the city forward goes, Liz Minkin is excellant, she gets as excited as us about the best skyscraper proposals that come through.

echo the Liz Minkin comment - she seems to have been supportive towards most of the major schemes. To be fair, Leeds has been due a massive inwards investment, and the council recognise the the city centre can certainly be embellished by cutting edge tall towers. Aside from those relating to the Parkinson Building, Parish Church, Town Hall and Civic Hall, we don't have the restricted views issue that dominates London.

The council, by wanting to place tall towers as gateways / entry points to the city centre are bang on in my book. It's a large enough city to accomodate lots of tall towers without impacting on existing buildings, and in-fact pretty hilly, already so some buildings are naturally accentuated (the Plaza Tower will be a prime case in point once built). How many other councils are publishing their own Tall Buildings Strategy?!?

bugger the politics of it.

 

[Leeds No.1]

Manchester seems to be building them wherever and whenever they can whether its a decent site or not; Liverpool seems to be confining them to a certain area probably with strict planning so that it doesnt affect the historic waterfront; in the same way London skyscrapers have had to be cancelled or changed so that views of St. Pauls and the like aren't lost. Not sure about Birmingham or Glasgow.

 

[rhinomatt]

Well, The Tory's are Pro Developments in Leeds. And Obviously Pro Arena.
Thank God for Andrew Carter (Council leader and Conservative), He would make a good elected mayor if we ever got one (Sadly the Labour Group don't want an elected mayor and nether do the Lib Dem Group). :bash:

 

[Leeds No.1]

^^ It was Labour who originally pushed for elected mayors. Labour and even more so the LD's want devolution- the Conservatives remain against it because they think it will split the UK, although they have stated they wouldn't remove it from Scotland or Wales now it is in place.

Anyway, LCC are without doubt pro skyscraper. Very few things have been denied planning permission over the last 10 years- design seems to be of little importance. Look at the amount of student blocks that have gone up.

No doubt that to an extent, the constant approval of projects is with a watchful eye of a city over the Pennines.

 

[BannockBurnt]

No1, your simplistic view of the world is sometimes a little naive. The UK economy was going through structural change in the 1980's mainly as a result of global pressures. This meant many of our traditional industries were in decline (something which had been going on since the 1960's but the 80's was the final death throw for many industries such as steel and shipbuilding) and some cities suffered. Leeds for example which had one of the most diverse economies in the 1980's suffered far less than places likes Sheffield and Liverpool and this undoubtedly helped lessen the economic impact of this structural change in our city. As a result of these changes the UK economy needed restructuring and moving towards a more service based economy which is something that the Tories undertook. It was painful for many cities but it has to be done and for example the freeing up of the financial markets allowed London to boom as the finance capital of Europe to benefit of the whole of the UK. It also facilitated the construction boom of the last decade which in underpinned by the growth of service industries.

The current success of the UK economy and boom in our cities has it's roots firmly in the economic reforms of the 1980's, something which even the likes of Blair and Brown will grudgingly acknowledge. Remember also that the boom in Leeds began in the late 1980's under Thatchers government and a Labour Council that was pro-business, certainly far more pro-business that the cranks running Liverpool and to a lesser extent Sheffield! The Tories were responsible for introducing the Development Corporations and other quangos designed to rejuvenate areas in many of our urban centres and also approved many light-rail schemes, certainly far more than the current labour administration.

BTW - I am no Tory, never voted for them in my life. I just think they get a very bad press in certain circles!
.

It depends what you mean by "boom" I suppose. Yes a lot of people made money and cities were regenerated. The price was despair for many and parts of the UK went into near-permanent recession. In place of steel, coal, shipbuilding and deep-sea fishing came heroin and abject misery. Now we make little, other than financial services, at a time when we need a stable economic base. It'll be interesting to see where the UK, France and Germany are ten years from now. I've also, needless to say, never voted Tory and I'm afraid that Blair's great folly was to placate the southern middle class Mail women and toe the Tory line at a time when he could have done anything.

 

[Rob]

Well, The Tory's are Pro Developments in Leeds. And Obviously Pro Arena.
Thank God for Andrew Carter (Council leader and Conservative), He would make a good elected mayor if we ever got one (Sadly the Labour Group don't want an elected mayor and nether do the Lib Dem Group). :bash:

Totally agree with your comment about Andrew Carter.

He is frequently coming onto Radio Leeds and Look North to defend Leeds and deflect the critical rubbish we get thrown at us. He supports an ambitious and growing Leeds (with projects like the arena), which very few council leaders seem to do in this country.

Here's to Cllr Andrew Carter :applause:

He should go on the grand civic waiting list for a statue in City Square, along with that guy who lives in Aspect 14 who told Hutchinson what for. :colgate:

 

[rhinomatt]

^^ It was Labour who originally pushed for elected mayors. Labour and even more so the LD's want devolution- the Conservatives remain against it because they think it will split the UK, although they have stated they wouldn't remove it from Scotland or Wales now it is in place.

Well, Its fact that In Leeds the Conservative Group where about to propose a elected mayor at 'Full Council' but they found out that nether the Labour Group or Lib-Dem group where not prepared to support it, so they never proposed the motion.
On the Devolution issue, The Conservative have always wanted to devolve power, but not via the 'Devolution' route. The Conservative Party supports stronger and more powerful councils, giving people actual representation rather than yet another level of bureaucracy.
This is taken from www.conservatives.com :

We are the largest party of local government in Britain, with almost 10,000 councillors across Great Britain.

Conservative councils are greener, helping to improve the local environment and protect green spaces in our towns and villages. They are safer, fighting the crime, anti-social behaviour, vandalism and graffiti that ruin people’s quality of life. And, crucially, at a time when the cost of living is rocketing, they offer better value for money.

We believe strongly in local democracy. Too many decisions which affect local communities are currently taken by officials in Whitehall. A Conservative Government will change that by:

* Giving more powers and freedoms to local councils, and making town halls more accountable to local people
* Abolishing Labour’s quango state, for example by scrapping the unelected regional assemblies
* Giving councils greater control over the spending of money that they receive from Whitehall
* Allowing local residents to veto high council tax rises in order to keep council tax down

Our aim is to empower and embolden people to take action themselves, whether as individuals or as members of independent organisations, voluntary groups and social enterprises.

x

Totally agree with your comment about Andrew Carter.

He is frequently coming onto Radio Leeds and Look North to defend Leeds and deflect the critical rubbish we get thrown at us. He supports an ambitious and growing Leeds (with projects like the arena), which very few council leaders seem to do in this country.

Here's to Cllr Andrew Carter :applause:

He should go on the grand civic waiting list for a statue in City Square, along with that guy who lives in Aspect 14 who told Hutchinson what for. :colgate:

Spot on, we do need more statues around the city centre. Perhaps a Louis Le Prince?

x

 

[Leeds No.1]

I am against stronger councils. A new body is needed- one for either LCR or Yorkshire & Humber as Lab/LD propose (or Lab proposed before the 2004 referendum). A stronger council just means stronger powers for Leeds. The power is needed across the City Region not just Leeds. A stronger council in Leeds would not benefit the remainder of the City Region at all- it'd be just the same as having the Metro zone creating the division between North and West Yorkshire at the moment.

I am against low tax also. Tax should be at an appropriate level to fund public services. That means if anything, it should be higher than it is at the moment, or at least for wealthier portions of the population.

 

[di Livio]

It depends what you mean by "boom" I suppose. Yes a lot of people made money and cities were regenerated. The price was despair for many and parts of the UK went into near-permanent recession. In place of steel, coal, shipbuilding and deep-sea fishing came heroin and abject misery. Now we make little, other than financial services, at a time when we need a stable economic base. It'll be interesting to see where the UK, France and Germany are ten years from now. I've also, needless to say, never voted Tory and I'm afraid that Blair's great folly was to placate the southern middle class Mail women and toe the Tory line at a time when he could have done anything.

I was tempted to reply to Simon's comment but i don't think he's been on the forum for a while. As someone who's looked into Thatcher's legacy, it's worth noting the human costs of her policies, particularly in the north of England. The idea of having a state funeral for such a divisive figure is bizarre to say the least. But at least we'll all get a day off work.

 

[rhinomatt]

I am against stronger councils. A new body is needed- one for either LCR or Yorkshire & Humber as Lab/LD propose (or Lab proposed before the 2004 referendum). A stronger council just means stronger powers for Leeds. The power is needed across the City Region not just Leeds. A stronger council in Leeds would not benefit the remainder of the City Region at all- it'd be just the same as having the Metro zone creating the division between North and West Yorkshire at the moment.

I am against low tax also. Tax should be at an appropriate level to fund public services. That means if anything, it should be higher than it is at the moment, or at least for wealthier portions of the population.

I wasn't saying I disagree with your belief's, Just that you suggested the Conservative are all about centralised power and this is in fact the opposite.
Stronger and more powerful elected councils mean better and more effective city's and its up to the individual councils of they want to work together. No political body should politically bind city's together. Power should be Localised in order to give people the best and most effective services.

 

[aviator]

It seems bizarre that this dormant thread has been resurrected three years after its last posting without any news or discussion on what the thread is supposed to be about. hno:

Since the last post back in 2006, the city council has published its Tall Buildings Design Guide (see here). Plenty to discuss in there, I would have thought.