Plans for City Square to go vehicle free

The restrictions, which will not apply to buses and taxis, feature in a report on a Clean Air Zone, which the authority is hoping to get the go-ahead for implementation this week.

The report is being presented to the Executive Board tomorrow and the Yorkshire Evening Post has previously reported on how there are plans to charge buses, coaches, HGVs, taxis and private hire vehicles for entering a 90 square kilometre radius within the city’s outer ring road.

That will be implemented within the next two years but council officials say there are longer term ambitions to combat city centre pollution.

One measure is removing all motor vehicles from City Square – going one step further than a Clean Air Zone.

The report says: “The council is keen to further consult on what else can be done to improve air quality over the next decade and how ambitious should Leeds be.

“The council is already progressing its plan to reduce vehicles within the city centre as part of its city centre package. This will see all motor vehicles other than buses and taxis removed from City Square.

“This scheme will be delivered by 2023 and will in effect go further than a CAZ that included all vehicles as it will remove a substantial number of vehicles from the centre of the city.”

Revenue raised via the CAZ will be given back to the council and used only to support air quality works.