Fire crews from across West Yorkshire attended a blaze at the former Armley Conservative Club building yesterday (Wednesday, 25 September).
Ten crews attended the blaze at the disused building, off Theaker Lane in Armley, which started at around 8.40pm. An aerial appliance also tackled the fire.
West Yorkshire Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service are also in attendance.
A West Yorkshire Fire Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 8.42pm yesterday to a derelict building fire at Theaker Lane, Armley. This was a two-storey building 40 metres x 20 metres, 25 % of building involved in fire.
“At its height 10 crews were in attendance (Leeds x2, Stanningley, Hunslet x 2, Cookridge, Bradford, Moortown, Killingbeck x 2, Wakefield (Aerial), Bingley (Aerial support) and Dewsbury (Command support).
“Crews used breathing apparatus, hose reel jets and a large jet to extinguish the fire.
“No reports of any injuries on our log, all persons accounted for.”
WLD reported in July that plans to convert the site into housing had been refused by council planners. Eleven terraced houses would have been built off Theaker Lane as part of the proposals, which were first submitted in 2022.
Read more of WLD’s coverage of Armley Conservative Club here.
The site of a new Burger King drive-thru restaurant in Kirkstall. Photo: Google
By Don Mort, local democracy reporting service
Additional reporting: John Baron
Councillors could change their minds over proposals for a new Burger King drive-thru in Kirkstall after council officers issued a warning over the costs of a planning appeal.
As reported by WLD earlier this month, members of the south and west plans panel said they want to refuse controversial proposals for a new £2 million Burger King restaurant in Kirkstall.
There have been multiple objections surrounding traffic congestion and road safety.
Real estate investment trustNewRiver Retail submitted the single storey plan for the disused corner plot at Kirkstall Retail Park, next to Matalan. They say the project would create jobs and bring a disused site near Savins Mill Way back into use.
The original proposals were initially recommended for approval by Leeds City Council planning officers. But the council’s South and West plans panel did not give permission after arguments were heard at a meeting on September 5.
They asked planning officers to bring a report back to October’s south and west panel meeting detailing specific highways reasons why the plans should be refused.
Councillors will consider the application when the panel meets again next Thursday (October 3). A planning officer’s report offers two options, including refusing the application on highways grounds, or approving the proposals.
The report warns that the developer was likely to appeal and lodge a claim against the council for costs.
It said: “The panel may choose to accept officers’ previous recommendation to approve the application and not, as previously resolved, decide to refuse the application.”
At the September meeting, the panel resolved that it was “minded” to refuse permission. Final refusal would be subject to detailed reasons being drawn up.
Council officers had recommended the scheme be given consent, subject to a Section 106 legal agreement which would see the developer pay £30,000 towards road signal improvements and £42,000 for traffic cameras.
But the report said a successful appeal could potentially see the scheme go ahead without the Section 106 deal in place.
It said: “Officers would reiterate that the panel is entitled to change its mind over the previous resolution as a consequence of the content of this report and approve the application, subject to a Section 106 agreement.”
The report said council highways officers were satisfied that the traffic impact of the scheme was not serious enough to refuse permission.
The panel can either go ahead with refusal or defer and delegate the scheme for approval by the council’s chief planning officer.
KVDT's new base at St Stephen's Church Hall in Kirkstall is open
By community reporter
There’s so much going on each week at Kirkstall Valley Development Trust’s hub.
KVDT is based at St Stephen’s Church Hall, off Norman Street, and is offering a variety of activities for the whole community.
Mondays are all about ping-pong with both ParkyPing! and Gay-ble tennis meeting alternate weeks.
The super friendly lunch club gang meet every Monday and Wednesday and are always welcoming to new people.
Also on Wednesdays, KVDT still host the fabulous Hookers and Clickers. A new craft and mindfulness group is starting on alternate Mondays-this is a relaxed session for all abilities, plus Thursday’s Boxercise is a brilliant FREE fitness and confidence building class for young people. For all this and more, pop in for a brew or have a look online at: https://bookwhen.com/kvdt.
Volunteers at the community pantry in December 2022. Photo: KVDT
Community pantry
KVDT’s community pantry runs a busy service every Wednesday from 10am until 3pm and serves at least 30 customers each week.
Pantry members can also access free advice with Lindy (Better Leeds Communities) and join the Foodsavers scheme as well as enjoying a brew, chat and lunch.
The volunteers do an amazing job at, not only getting the food to people who need it, but also making it a a positive and supportive experience. We are always looking for new volunteers to join our happy band! More details about the pantry can be found on the website or call in on a Wednesday.
Children and families
KVDT is continuing to develop and extend its children and families offer and is now working with two excellent Forest School providers – Little Trees and Leodis Forest Schools.
They have created a cosy forest school space in the woodland area at Kirkstall Valley Farm and are now running preschool sessions, as well as supporting our school holidays playscheme and school visits program.
During the summer, we also ran our popular canal walks as well as teaming up with Kirkstall Crusaders for some football camp days.
Our Explorer Tots, Home Ed Group and school visits program are all running throughout the Autumn at the farm. We are always keen to welcome schools, nurseries and other children’s groups to visit the farm. Please email kirsty.ward@kvdt.org.uk to find out more.
A popular family pumpkin carving event is coming to the farm this year. It’s on Sunday 27 October and will also include a family-friendly hallowe’en trail around the farm.
For the grown-ups only, there’s a“Fright Farm” ghost walk on the farm on the evening of hallowe’en.
December starts with a Festive Market at the hub on Sunday 1 December. There will be stalls, food, mulled wine and more!
In the run up to Christmas, KVDT will also be inviting Santa back to ride his sleigh round Kirkstall on 19 December as well as some children’s activity days in the school holidays. All details will be listed on our booking site www.bookwhen.com/kvdt as tickest are available to book.
KVDT needs your help!
KVDT is urgently looking for people who can volunteer some time. This can come in all different forms from regular weekly sessions, occasional support at events or specialist advice.
Support is needed with the food pantry, hub, children’s activities, farm sessions and events. KVDT offesr a great experience for volunteers, including being part of the team, giving back to your community and gaining experience and skills for your future.
If you, or someone you know, would be able to help please email adele.rae@kvdt.org.uk and she will find the right role for you!
Pudsey-based Building Futures Together has been awarded funding to help improve social mobility in deprived areas by Northern Rail.
Building Futures Together is one of two not-for-profit organisations that have been awarded a major grant of £20,000 from Northern Rail’s Customer & Community Improvement Fund.
John Thornton, managing director/co-founder of Building Futures Together, said: “We applied for a Northern grant which was focused on early careers, education outreach and inclusive employment.
“£20,000 was awarded to us to deliver our vocational work experience programme for people interested in a career as a plumber or electrician.
“We will work with secondary schools, communities, and partners to offer opportunities to experience a realistic work environment and enhance employment opportunities. We’ll also look to pilot a transition programme between primary and secondary schools whilst also taking our sessions into schools which may help them with Gatsby benchmarks.”
The other organisation, Scope will focus on helping disabled young people improve their skills and confidence. A further five organisations received a grant of £10,000 and four received a grant of £2,500.
Tricia Williams, managing director at northern, said: “Helping to improve social mobility across our network is something we see as really important.
“Transport connectivity is itself a vital element of the wider support structure – but the organisations we’ve awarded grants to as part of this year’s Customer & Community Improvement Fund are specialists with direct, hands-on experience.
“With our support, these groups can make a huge difference to people’s lives and we look forward to hearing the many success stories that will follow.”
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.
Kalvin Kelly, from Pudsey, celebrates. Photo: Bonnie Lane
Pudsey teenager Kalvin Kelly heads to Donington Park this weekend looking to clinch the first ever Tracker Kawasaki British Superteen title.
The 16-year-old goes into the final race weekend of the 2024 season leading the championship by 29 points over his ROKiT Rookie team-mate Brodie Gawith, having boosted his tally with a win at Oulton Park earlier this month.
Kelly currently sits on 236 points ahead of the final round of the inaugural series, which launched in May.
Running as part of the Bennetts British Superbike support series, the one-make championship pits young riders against each other on identical Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR machinery.
Kalvin Kelly in action. Photo: Bonnie Lane
Donington Park plays host to an action-packed final round for the Superteen pack, with organisers squeezing in an extra race after rain forced the postponement of the second race at Oulton Park.
Riders will battle it out for 25 points for the win in the rescheduled race, while in the final two races, 35 points are up for grabs for the winner of each, with 30 for second and 27 for third.
Kelly, the youngest of this year’s Rookies, had been leading the points as the series arrived at Oulton Park a fortnight ago, bolstering his tally with a win in what was to be the weekend’s only race.
And now, as he arrives favourite to lift the silverware at the end of the weekend, he is adamant he is concentrating simply on enjoying the three races of the season.
“Coming into the final round I’m feeling strong,” he said. “Donington Park is my favourite track and I got a second and a third when we last raced there in May.
“I am in the same position I was going into Oulton, leading the points, but obviously there’s a lot more to play for this weekend with it being the final round and I’m really excited – I’m just looking forward to seeing what we can do and what will happen.”
The weekend gets underway with free practice on Friday, followed by qualifying and two races on Saturday and the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
Residents and landlords in Armley are being invited to have their say on a proposed licensing scheme for private sector rented housing.
Leeds City Council began operating a system known as ‘selective licensing’ in Beeston and Harehills in 2020 with the aim of driving up the standard of privately-rented homes and boosting wider efforts to tackle social and health inequalities in the two communities.
Council chiefs say positive results have been achieved but – under the terms of the Housing Act 2004 – selective licensing schemes in England can only run for a period of five years.
The council is therefore now considering plans for a new and expanded scheme that would again include much of Beeston and Harehills but would also take in parts of Armley, Holbeck, Cross Green and East End Park.
All private landlords – with certain limited exceptions – would be required by law to obtain a licence for any residential property they are seeking to let in the designated area.
The licence conditions would include ensuring the safe working of gas or electric appliances, providing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and keeping the property in a decent state of repair, both inside and out.
A public consultation on the proposed scheme was launched yesterday (Monday, September 23), with the council keen to gather a wide cross-section of views before it decides whether to press ahead with its plans.
And interested parties across the city – including landlords, tenants and other stakeholders – are being urged to take the opportunity to share their thoughts between now and the end of the consultation period on December 13.
Councillor Jess Lennox, Leeds City Council’s executive member for housing, said: “Privately rented properties are a key source of housing in Leeds and it’s vitally important that they are safe, warm and well managed places to live.
“We want to explore options for protecting and improving the quality of every type of home in our city, with the newly-launched consultation on selective licensing forming part of that work.
“I would encourage as many people as possible to let us know their views over the course of the next few months.”
More than 4,500 inspections and other visits have been conducted at properties in Beeston and Harehills under their existing schemes, which both come to an end next year.
Landlords have had to carry out improvement work on more than 1,500 homes where issues were identified during these checks.
The visits have also given council officers increased opportunities to identify situations where tenants are facing non-housing related problems, with more than 1,700 referrals being made to partner agencies for support with health, financial and other challenges.
The areas provisionally earmarked for the new scheme all sit within the Armley, Beeston & Holbeck, Burmantofts & Richmond Hill, Gipton & Harehills and Hunslet & Riverside council wards.
These wards have higher levels of deprivation than the city as a whole and an above-average concentration of private rented housing.
A decision on whether to bring in the new Selective Licensing in East, South & West Leeds scheme is expected in the first half of 2025.
To learn more about the consultation and how to submit feedback, click here. Further information can also be obtained by e-mailing ESWselective.licensing@leeds.gov.uk or ringing 0113 378 2899.
After an excellent pre-season with extra emphasis on fitness and defensive systems the “Buffs” opened the 2024 season with hard-earned 14-0 home victory against New Earswick All Blacks with Buffaloe stalwart Tom Langton scoring the first try of the new season.
A brilliant 31-12 away victory at Dodworth Miners made it two wins from two before the Buffaloes tasted defeat for the first time as they went down to a shock 18-36 loss to the amalgamated Greetland/Elland side.
Due to players’ unavailability the Bramley side lacked many first-teamers while the unsportsmanlike behaviour of the home coach left a sour taste for all concerned with the black and ambers.
The Yorkshire Men’s League Trophy brought a division higher Castleford Panthers to the West Leeds Rugby Union ground and the Bramley side responded to the challenge to record a stunning 40-12 victory and a semi-final date away at another higher division side Moldgreen.
Back to league matters and Bramley romped to impressive home victories against Birstall Victoria (52-6) with Kieran Hudson scoring a hat-trick of tries before demolishing a weak Wyke side 88-0 with the Buffs crossing for 15 tries and Lewis Gaunt kicking 13 conversions from 13 attempts.
The Bramley side went to division two Moldgreen as underdogs and came away with a famous victory to reach the YML Trophy for the second year running as they secured a nail-biting 26-22 victory with five tries shared by Eliah Chitiyo (3) and Sam Marshall (2).
The month of June brought another three comfortable league victories as the rampant Buffaloes posted a 28-10 victory at York Acorn as Omar Al-Rawi crossed for a hat-trick with Chitiyo adding another two tries to his impressive start as a Buffaloe.
It was flying winger Chitiyo who was the star of the 38-0 home win against Upton as he scorched his way to four tries.
A blistering first half performance at New Earswick All Black saw the “Buffs” lead 30-0 at half-time, with the match won the team took their foot off the gas in the second half to finally win 36-8 with another two tries for Chitiyo and a brace for the ever-impressive Zane Ballantyne.
With Bramley being awarded a home victory as Elland were unable to raise a side Bramley then warmed up for their forthcoming final against second division Illingworth by hammering Wyke away by 62 points to six. Ballantyne and Al Rawi scoring two tries each.
The YMS Trophy Final at the Batley Bulldogs stadium saw a titanic struggle before the Bramley boys secured an impressive 22-16 victory after leading 12-10 at half-time. With Sam Neave setting an imperious example and deservedly being named Man of the Match the “Buffs” fully deserved to take the honours and leaving their large vociferous following the opportunity to celebrate late into the night!
With York Acorn failing to fulfil their fixture at the Blue Hill Lane ground, again Bramley were awarded the points, but the club can ill-afford to lose match revenue in this way time and again.
My own personal view is that there should be some sort of compensation payment being made to the host club either from the Yorkshire Mens League itself or the club involved as programme printing and catering costs are not cheap.
Bramley Buffaloes’ Sam Neave.
After being three weeks since their last outing the Buffaloes went to Upton as the Division Three league-leaders with eight consecutive victories behind them. What followed was by far the worst performance of the season as Upton scored a shock 26-12 victory.
With two league matches remaining Bramley needed to win both games to finish the top of the division on points difference. A slow start at Birstall Victoria saw the Buffs trail 12-0 before going through the gears to lead 16-12 at half-time and then went into overdrive to secure a convincing 56-12 victory with Ballantyne scoring a hat=trick and Jack Boot crossing for a brace of tries.
Everything now rested on the final winner-takes-all home match against top of the table Dodworth Miners. Only a victory would crown the Buffaloes as champions. On a sunny day with a big crowd cheering the hosts on, Bramley made the perfect start by going 10 points up within 10 minutes before both teams pressed for points.
The last five minutes of the half saw Bramley notch a try each side of a Dodworth converted try to lead 18-6 at the break.
The Dodworth team talk certainly paid dividends as incredibly they stormed in to an 20-18 lead with 15 minutes left on the clock.
With the Bramley faithful worrying and biting their nails Bramley then scored the try of the match with Neave scorching away to score. After what felt like a never-ending amount of stoppage time the whistle went and Bramley were deserved champions winning the title on points difference against the Dodworth side.
However, the main winner was the game of rugby league as despite what was at stake both sides played with a level of discipline and sportsmanship that was a credit to both clubs.
With a Grand Final place at stake, Bramley were informed that New Earswick All Blacks would be unable to raise a team and so Bramley received a bye in to the Grand Final to be played at Featherstone Rovers ground. Again the “Buffs” were left out of pocket through no fault of their own, especially when there would be travelling expenses to take into account for the final.
And so, quite rightly the best two teams in the division by a country mile went to Featherstone and in an entertaining match played in a great spirit the Buffaloes just failed in their attempt to do a clean sweep and win the treble.
With Dodworth getting out of the blocks at a faster pace than the “Buffs” they sprinted to an early 14-0 lead.
The Bramley side picked up the pace and Keiran Hudson crossed for a try to see the first half finish with a score of Buffaloes 4 Miners 14. Again, it was the South Yorkshire side who started the half better and a converted try put them into an 20-4 lead.
Tries by Keiran Hudson and Codey Downey brough the “Buffs” back in to the game at 12-20, sadly as the Bramley fans were dreaming of a late, late victory Dodworth scored again to take them into a 26-12 lead. Keiran Hudson completed his hat-trick just before the game ended with a 16-26 defeat for the gallant Black and Ambers.
A League Leaders Title and the YML Trophy to show for all the hard work and efforts during the season and the Buffaloes can look back on a highly successful season.
The treble may have been lost but everyone at the club deserves to be congratulated for a great season and some spectacular tries and matches to remember.
IF you haven’t visited the fabulous Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley, you must! writes Anne Akers.
When you walk up the stairs from the street entrance, push the door open and there you are, a massive space flooded with light and lovely things.
The gallery supports local artists with exhibitions changing every two months or so.
The latest is from two female artists who have been making art for more than a century between them.
Loretta came to the UK from Mumbai in 1965 and has worked as a ceramicist via a career in dance, graphic arts, textile design and sculpture. She now works from her ceramics studio in York.
Sheila studied at Leeds College of Art in the 1950s and worked as a teacher in England and later Iraq where her husband worked for the United Nations. She sketched everyday lives of people in Baghdad. She returned to Yorkshire with her family in 1970 and after her retirement continued to develop her drawings and paintings of street life, this time in Leeds city centre.
It’s not often I walk into a gallery and immediately say, ‘wow, I love those’. But when I saw Sheila’s colourful, animated paintings and sketches of ordinary people going about their business, I did.
So too did my husband. We agreed we’d be very happy to have them on our walls at home, they are so delightful. Loretta’s ceramics are abstract forms, my favourites were the Fruit and Bloom collection of vibrant coloured pineapple, jackfruit, cashew and peach. They make you smile!
So do head over to Farsley and check out this exhibition and have a cuppa in the café. It runs until October 13.
It’s open every day except Monday 10-4pm, 12-4pm on Sundays. Entry is free.
Our fourth year stewarding this piece of land between the Kirkstall Road and the river Aire has seen it packed full of life of all kinds.
Running our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm, working with lots of people to grow veg for the local community, is never boring!
Highlights this year have included big harvests of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers from the polytunnels. These get picked, packed and collected by members every Thursday.
This summer we have been providing 115 veg boxes every week, all filled with veg straight from the farm!
Another highlight has been welcoming so many new people, including at our third birthday party, which was a big success and helped us raise funds towards training a new grower next year (a big thank you to everyone involved).
Ben led the annual “Tasting Tour” for kids coming to the Healthy Holidays program organised by KVDT’s Children and Families team.
We had lots of visitors including the Lincoln Greeners, the Bahar Women’s Association, Greenhead College, Armley mental wellbeing groups, and the Shantona Women’s Centre, amongst others!
Lots of new folk have come to volunteer at the farm, bringing all sorts of ideas and enthusiasm. A new volunteer marketing team has developed our online presence; you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram (@KirkstallValleyFarm) for regular updates.
We’ve had plenty of challenges too – the lack of sunshine has meant poor harvests of things like courgettes and sweetcorn.
The mild winter and wet spring produced a massive slug population, which munched through around 70% of our winter squash/pumpkin plants before they even got going!
Looking ahead, we’re hoping for a sunny autumn to give our remaining crops the best chance to finish growing, then some cold spells over winter to reduce that slug population.
We’ll also be hosting more events to raise the rest of the money we need to train a new grower next year (to include paying them whilst they train), and watch this space for (hopefully) some exciting site developments.
If you’d like to receive a veg box, or to volunteer, more info is on our website or by e-mailing Jen: kvf.admin@kvdt.org.uk.
A huge thanks to everyone involved for all the hard work you put into the farm. It’s much appreciated!
Andy Dalton from Leeds City Mission with some of the clothes.
By community reporter
Scores of children’s cardigans and sweatshirts are being given away to people in West Leeds.
Over the next three weeks volunteers at the Leeds City Mission Compassion Centre in Mistress Lane, Armley are giving away 160 brand new cardigans and sweatshirts for children.
The City Mission has been the lucky recipient of a batch of children’s clothing from a warehouse in Lancashire which suffered flood damage. After sorting the clothes and discarding the damaged items, the City Mission face the challenge of putting them to good use.
They have decided to give them away to anyone who would like to call in at their premises.
Volunteers have sorted out the clothing. Each day for the next three weeks are placing them on a display table outside their Compassion Centre in Mistress Lane. They are inviting parents and carers to come and take them for free.
The cardigans and sweatshirts have a number of different school logos. These are for schools in Lancashire – however the items are ideal for children wearing them for recreational purposes at home.
Development Worker Andy Dalton said that from time to time the City Mission are given a variety of items to help in their work with people on limited budgets and those struggling with life.
On this occasion City Mission staff think that the provision of free clothing will be helpful to struggling families – especially as the weather turns and the winter cold begins.
He added that the work of the City Mission is proving to be a lifeline for many local people.
Anyone is welcome to call at the Centre between 10am to 3pm Monday to Fridays (not Wednesdays) and take what they need from the display table.
Leeds City Mission is one of the oldest charities in Leeds being in continuous existence since 1837. It is a multi-church Christian agency which organises a number of projects from its premises in Mistress Lane helping people at the margins of life.
A public appeal has been issued to help find 13-year-old black Labrador, Hugo, who went missing from Calverley Lane in Bramley.
With the help of enlisted search and rescue team, K9-SAR, local areas are being thoroughly searched, including Rodley Nature Reserve, Bramley Fall Park and many other surrounding areas.
Now, the team is calling on the public for their support. Residents are urgently encouraged to search their gardens, sheds and outbuildings for the missing black labrador. For any sightings, residents are asked to call the search and rescue team directly on 077532 60917.
The 13-year-old Labrador wandered out of his back garden on Wednesday, 11 September, with CCTV footage showing him walking towards the Langley and Summerfield estate in Bramley, but with no further sightings.
As each day passes with his medication, Hugo’s health will be deteriorating, making the search even more urgent.
A concerted campaign to find the dog is being carried out on social media.
Karen Moon, of search and rescue team K9-SAR, commented: “We are urgently calling on the public to help find Hugo and reunite him with his family.
“His family are heartbroken and have been searching for hours every single day. Hugo has not had his medication since his disappearance, and we are extremely concerned about his whereabouts.
“We encourage all homeowners to look in their garages, sheds, gardens and outbuildings, and to keep an eye out for Hugo when walking around. For any sightings, please contact ourselves as a matter of urgency. All help is greatly appreciated by ourselves and Hugo’s loving family.”
For more information on Hugo’s search and rescue, visit Help Find Missing Hugo Facebook group.
SOCIAL:
Activities at Bramley Lawn Social Centre.
Photo: BEA.
By community reporter
AN organisation offering lifeline support to older people in Bramley, Swinnow and parts of Stanningley is about to celebrate a major milestone.
A day of celebration will mark Bramley Elderly Action’s 30th anniversary on 19 October.
Since 1994 the charity, which is based at Bramley Community Centre, has supported around 4,000 people over the age of 60.
This includes affordable and accessible social opportunities which help people get out of their homes and make new friends.
A spokesperson said: “We have been very fortunate to have over 600 volunteers give their time to support BEA members to do this.
“Our thanks go to all those involved in the last 30 years.”
BEA’s first manager Sheila Mahon said she was originally employed to work with lonely older people in the area.
She said: “It should never be forgotten that older people have all had their lives before they became old. We need to acknowledge that they bring a lifetime of experience to our organisation.”
A celebration will run 12pm until midnight at The Villagers, in Broad Lane, Bramley. It includes events during the day and evening, along with the AGM at 2pm.
BEA will also recognise long-serving members at the AGM.
