People, businesses and developers across West Yorkshire are being invited to help shape how the region’s proposed Mass Transit system can best drive economic growth, regeneration and sustainable development.
All five West Yorkshire local authorities launched a major public consultation on plans to ensure a co‑ordinated, cross‑boundary approach to land use, regeneration, investment and transport. The consultation will inform the development of a new Spatial Development Framework, designed to support both current and future phases of the Mass Transit programme.
Once adopted by local councils, the Framework will form part of their statutory development plans, providing a shared vision for how towns, cities and communities across West Yorkshire will evolve in the years ahead.
West Yorkshire Mass Transit is expected to play a pivotal role in accelerating economic growth, supporting new housing, easing congestion and improving air quality across the region. However, regional leaders stress that these benefits will only be fully realised if planning decisions are made in a purposeful and proactive way, with development aligned around the new transport network.
The consultation sets out a preferred approach that focuses new homes, jobs and services around Mass Transit stops and hubs, ensuring major assets are within easy walking distance of high‑quality public transport links. This strategy aims to create a co-ordinated investment framework, directing growth to the places where it will have the greatest social, economic, and environmental impact.
An alternative option, leaving planning entirely to individual Local Plans, carries risks of fragmented development, missed opportunities and weaker outcomes for communities.
The consultation follows the Government’s renewed commitment to the West Yorkshire Mass Transit project, including a new pledge to fund the system beyond 2032, subject to business case approval.
In response, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has produced an updated sequential delivery timeline, shaped by an independent review. The revised programme seeks to reduce risk, strengthen evidence and ensure the project moves confidently towards successful delivery.
West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said:
"Mass Transit – a vital part of our Weaver Network - has the potential to transform West Yorkshire.
"Our ambition is for a network that stretches across the whole region, so we need to ensure our plans are strategic, joined-up and made collaboratively.
"We want your feedback to help us build a Mass Transit system which delivers the maximum benefits for generations to come."
The Spatial Development Framework consultation will not ask for views on specific Mass Transit routes, alignment options, depot locations or potential park and ride sites. These details will be made public only after the submission of key documents to Government.
The Combined Authority has outlined that it remains focused on submitting its Strategic Outline Case later this year, a critical milestone that will demonstrate the economic, social and environmental need for Mass Transit in West Yorkshire.
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