Month: July 2012

Public meeting to discuss an application to build on the Chestnut Avenue playing field

South Headingley Community Association is holding a public meeting to discuss planning application 12/02491 which proposes building on the Chestnut Avenue playing field off Victoria Road. The meeting will be held at 6.30pm on Wednesday the 1st August at the Cardigan Centre.

The Chestnut Avenue site has been unused since the High School moved to Alwoodley to join the Leeds Boys’ Grammar School to form The Grammar School at Leeds. Now Holbeck Land and Chartford Homes, having paid a deposit on the site, want to:

  • demolish the sports hall and swimming pool and replace them with a 3-storey building comprising of a convenience store with 8 flats above.
  • build 25 houses on the playing field with some exercise space.

South Headingley Community Association is strongly opposed to the proposal because

  • Several public meetings have already called for the sports facilities to be saved.
  • The five schools in the area need an extra 40,846 square metres to comply with the area required by the School Premises Regulations. Brudenell, Quarry Mount and Rosebank have no playing field space.
  • Locally owned shops and convenience stores already struggle

You can object to this application either by submitting a comment via this link, or by sending an email to : planning@leeds.gov.uk, or by writing to the Development Enquiry Centre, The Leonardo Building, 2 Rossington St, Leeds, LS2 8HD. If you send an email, please be sure to include your postal address.

The sun comes out for Unity Day

After several days of wet weather, there were blue skies and sunshine today After several days of wet weather, there were blue skies and sunshine today for Unity Day. There was just a little light rain in the late afternoon, and then some heavier rain just before the event closed at 7pm.

As in the past, there was something for everyone, cake stalls, bric-a-brac, and music to dance to for those feeling energetic.

Launch of Parks and Green Space Forum

This afternoon saw the launch at Leeds Civic Hall of the Leeds Parks and this This afternoon saw the launch at Leeds Civic Hall of the Leeds Parks and Green Space Forum. The event was attended by over 130 people including Councillor Jack Dunn, deputy head of Environmental Services, Paul Bramhill head of Green Space, Sarah Royal, chair of the Birmingham Parks and Green Space Forum, representatives from the city’s various Friends groups, and various council officers.

Speeches were given by Sean Flesher, the officer in charge of Parks and Countryside, Councillor Dunn, Paul Bramhill and Sarah Royal. Coucillor Dunn said how green space has never been under such pressure from developers as it is now, and that he hopes the Forum will enable leeds to better resist that pressure. Mr Bramhill said the the Bristol Forum had helped Bristol to resist an attempt by Bristol City council to sell of 50% of the city’s parks. Sarah Bramhill told us that there is now a national Parks and Green Space Forum representing the various city groups.