Residents in Kirkstall and Burley are objecting to the loss of a popular footpath.
Plans for 12 flats on the former Salvation Army Church Hall site, off Kirkstall Lane, were first approved, subject to a raft of conditions, by the south and west plans panel in 2017.
Objections were first lodged to the loss of the footpath at the time of the proposals, but a council planning officer’s report at the time said:
“As part of the pre-application and full application Public Rights of Way were consulted and confirmed no designated right of way exists to the rear of the site.
“Discussions have been held as part of previous applications surrounding the possibility of a new formal right of way. The site falls within private ownership and therefore insisting on a new, designated, public right of way as part of the application is considered unreasonable.”
The applicant, CW Langton Ltd, is now looking to discharge a raft of conditions attached to the proposal, which has led to renewed opposition to the loss of the footpath at the top of the site, which would be replaced by landscaping.
Kirkstall Neighbourhood Forum has already lodged an objection. They said:
“This strip of land, as they describe it, is a public footpath I have used for over 30 years.”
A resident on Stanmore Grove added their concerns, saying it was a ‘right to roam’ for all residents and asked for the proposal to be blocked by council planners.
Burley resident Stuart Long argued the site was a ‘historical public right of way’ to the rear of it that connects Paxton Hall through and on to the Cricketers and then up on to Kirkstall Hill and beyond.
Posting on social media, another resident argued:
“Those of you [who] live in Kirkstall (and very possibly Armley and Bramley) may not be aware that our footpaths are at risk. Many of them are not registered and you may well find what you consider to be rights of way are blocked! We need to come together to ensure that all our rights of way are properly registered!”
The latest application to discharge the planning condition can be found here.
