Much-needed affordable homes for elderly and disabled people could be built on a former warehouse site.
Plans have been submitted to the council for 24 supported living flats, along with six family homes, on land at Waterloo Way in Bramley.
A planning report said the flats, in two detached blocks, would provide specialist accommodation to help people live independently in their own homes.
It would be managed by a registered provider and was designed with the help of care specialists.
The report said: “The units will be occupied by persons seeking to live independently but require an element of tailored support.
“Within each building residents will have independent living accommodation but will also have the ability to occupy communal areas within the building.”
The six houses would be three-bedroomed and suitable for families. The report said: “The proposal will deliver much required affordable dwellings, creating new homes for families who are in need of such housing.”
The report, commissioned by Storm Property, said the development would create jobs and bring a dilapidated site back into use.
Work would be required to remove Japanese Knotweed, an invasive plant species, from the land.
The report said: “The proposal regenerates a parcel of land that has been vacant for an extensive period and that has become an eyesore and overgrown.
“It is considered that this development will create new opportunities for employment, as the specialist supported living accommodation will require staff to provide supportive actions to residents.”
Pre-application talks were held with Leeds City Council ahead of plans being submitted.
Plans to build 19 flats in a west Leeds community have been allowed to proceed despite dozens of objections.
Road safety concerns were raised over the proposed development on land east of Owlcotes Lane in Stanningley.
Permission was sought to create a four and six-storey block of apartments, along with a gym and coffee shop, near New Pudsey railway station.
Leeds City Council received 60 letters of objection from nearby householders over issues including increased traffic and the height of the building.
The council’s South and West plans panel agreed to let the project go ahead at a meeting today (Thursday, November 28).
Members were told council officers were satisfied the traffic concerns had been addressed.
Barry Anderson, Conservative member for Adel and Wharfedale, said he supported the project in principle, but still had concerns over road safety and the design of the building.
He said: “It’s for those reasons that I won’t be able to support it.”
Members discussed fears that the development would attract more traffic than expected, despite close public transport links.
Penny Stables, Green Party member for Wetherby, said: “I am supportive of it, although I do have some concerns. We want to encourage people not to have a car.
“This location, being right next to a station, is a very sustainable location.”
The application brought before the panel at the request of Calverley and Farsley Conservative councillor Andrew Carter, who opposed the project.
A report to the meeting said Peter Carlill, Labour member for the ward, sent a letter of support.
Planning permission was subject to a £23,500 contribution to improvements to nearby green spaces, along with £30,000 towards road safety schemes.
Panel members agreed to approve the application, subject to conditions, in a majority vote. Council planning officers proposed a number of conditions, including a £23,000 contribution towards greenspace enhancements within the Calverley and Farsley ward, £30,000 towards a traffic management scheme on adjacent streets to be agreed by highways officers and ward members. There would also be a 15% affordable housing provision.
Plans to improve an installation which supplies gas to Pudsey and surrounding areas have been refused by Leeds City Council due to the removal of trees on the site.
Northern Gas Networks applied to out up a new palisade fence, new vehicle entrance and new pedestrian access, and the replacement of existing double doors and frame to the building, off Kent Road in Pudsey.
Northern Gas argued the removal of 11 established trees as well as other trees on the site was driven by regulatory requirements and safety considerations. They said: “Tree roots can grow and exert pressure on underground pipelines…”
But a council planning officer’s report refusing the application stated: “The proposal is not considered to amount to a policy compliant form of development due to the extent of the tree loss and the significant visual harm it will have on the setting of the heritage buildings and boundary wall as well as the wider street-scene.
“The justification provided by the applicant is duly noted but without fuller data … or the proposal to employ less harmful methods the LPA are unable to offer support for the extent of the tree loss.
“Whilst the Applicant has suggested tree replacement off site, this would not overcome the immediate visual harm to this section of Kent Road through the loss of the important verdant features which play a robust variable in the characteristics of this area.”
Farsley Christmas lights switch on and lantern parade 2024 on Farsley Town Street. Photo: Kelvin Wakefield
By Kelvin Wakefield and Noelle Williamson
Thousands of people took to the streets of Farsley last night (Wednesday) for the inaugural Farnley Lantern Festival and the perennial favourite – the Farsley Christmas lights switch on.
The enchanting evening will illuminate Farsley with a procession of unique lanterns crafted by the community. Over 300 people were involved in the lead-up to this event, dedicating their time and creativity to craft these beautiful lanterns using sustainable materials.
The parade will feature a spectacular array of their creations, including three giant puppets and illuminated wildlife-themed head-dresses designed by local artists Morwenna Catt, Duncan Barnett and Danny Tootell.
Adding to the festive atmosphere, many shops, cafes, and bars along the parade route extended their opening hours, offering seasonal treats and warm hospitality. Visitors can also explore a night market in Sunny Bank Mills’ car park, hosted by Farsley Farmers Market, where they can find unique gifts and delicious local produce.
Here is a slideshow of Kelvin Wakefield’s photos from the switch on and the lantern parade
Here’s a slideshow of Noelle Williamson’s photos from the lantern parade:
A Pudsey company has been selected to deliver a comprehensive mechanical, electrical and public health design and build package for the new £14 million Pudsey Sixth Form College.
Scheduled to open at the start of the 2025/26 academic year, the new building will cater for 600 higher education students studying A-Levels, vocational courses, and GCSEs. It will provide much-needed sixth form space for the increasing number of 16 to 18-year-olds in Leeds.
G&H’s 20-strong team, including six apprentices, will commence work on the college off Kent Road in February. They will incorporate energy-saving features such as air-source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels to ensure the building achieves top marks in its BREEAM sustainability compliance rating and its Building Regulations UK Part L certificate.
In addition, G&H will provide heating, ventilation, air conditioning, public services, commercial kitchen services and building management systems to provide a comfortable environment for the students to thrive.
Mohammad Choudhary, project engineer, G&H said: “We have extensive experience in the education sector, so the Luminate Education Group projects align perfectly with our expertise.
“It will be a privilege to work alongside Caddick Construction to deliver the Pudsey Sixth Form College, providing a sustainable building that offers a safe and comfortable environment for young people from Leeds and the surrounding areas to prosper.”
Steve Ford, managing director for Caddick Construction Yorkshire and North East, comments: “Delivering new school places – whether primary, secondary or further education – requires efficiency and value for money, both of which are made possible through a high-quality and local supply chain.
“Caddick holds a strong 40-year legacy in Yorkshire, and during this time we’ve surrounded ourselves with a dedicated and highly skilled network of regional subcontractors. We’re pleased to have G&H on board to support the delivery of the new Pudsey College for our valued client, Luminate Education Group.”
Rachel Reeves MP playing chess at Valley View Primary.
Leeds West and Pudsey MP Rachel Reeves was put through her paces when she played chess against children from three West Leeds schools.
Along with Malcolm Pein, chief executive of Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC), Ms Reeves visited Valley View Primary School in Rodley to meet the children who have weekly chess lessons.
Valley View’s chess masters were joined by youngsters from both Pudsey Waterloo and Stanningley primary schools.
Ms Reeves challenged the children and faced a stern test from the talented youngsters, who have taken to the game quickly.
Valley View, Pudsey Waterloo and Stanningley primary schools have all introduced chess into their curriculums thanks to the work of CSC, an educational charity.
Tutor Nick Mullan is teaching two lessons a week to over 60 children on Monday mornings at Valley View, which are proving extremely popular with the students. Other local tutors, Stephen Welham and Ernest Karumazondo teach weekly at Stanningley and Pudsey Waterloo. Pudsey Waterloo is new to the programme.
The children are benefiting from critical thinking, improved concentration, problem solving and pattern recognition, amongst many other skills, as part of their wider development.
CSC uses chess to promote key academic and social skills which provide some of the building blocks for employability in the new economy.
Ms Reeves said: “As someone who played chess regularly as a child, I know first-hand the benefits it brings to numeracy, social skills, strategy and problem solving. It was brilliant to meet children and staff and to see how well this programme is working at Valley View and Stanningley, with plans for it at Pudsey Waterloo too.”
Co-headteacher at Valley View, Sarah Griggs, was impressed with how the children concentrated for an hour and half while playing the games against Rachel Reeves.
Mrs Griggs said: “Our children are really benefiting from learning chess, it was great to see the way they concentrated today, I would recommend the CSC chess programme to other schools.”
CSC Yorkshire Coordinator, Dan Staples, said that it was a fantastic day and said: ‘Ot was great to have Rachel visit Valley View and see how much the children have learnt.
“The children very much enjoyed meeting Rachel and coming close to beating her! If any other schools in Yorkshire would like to hear more about helping their children with critical thinking through chess please get in touch with us.”
For more information on Chess in Schools and Communities, visit the website.
The number 72 bus on Stanningley Road. Photo: John Baron
By Don Mort, local democracy reporter
Bus users are being urged to report bad experiences after a worrying trend in women feeling unsafe travelling at night.
Transport bosses said people should report crime to the police and use an online service designed to highlight safety problems.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) found just 41 per cent of female passengers felt safe travelling in the dark, compared to 68 per cent of men.
The survey figures, gathered between January-March this year, were discussed by Leeds councillors on Wednesday (Nov 27).
Concerns: Cllr Peter Carlill
Coun Peter Carlill (Lab, Calverley & Farsley), deputy chair of WYCA’s Transport Committee, said the safety issues were not unique to the bus network.
He said: “I would say the safety of women and girls across all of society is something that hasn’t had enough focus over many decades.”
Councillors were told measures to boost safety included the online Bus Safety Feedback Tool.
Coun Carlill encouraged people to use the service. He said: “Anyone can report any issues they have with the bus network.”
Asghar Ali, Labour member for Gipton and Harehills, said: “This should surely have some serious alarm bells ringing for us.”
Overall, 54 per cent of passengers felt confident in their personal safety when using buses at night, WYCA found.
Darren Rushworth, regional officer for the Unite union, said drivers were also affected.
He said: “We have female drivers who don’t feel safe after dark driving buses. It is absolutely not about perceptions. It is 100 per cent real.”
The Infrastructure, Investment and Inclusive Growth scrutiny board was told separate figures showed 73 per cent of passengers were either very or fairly satisfied with their bus journey.
The West Yorkshire figure was beneath the 80 per cent England average, and was the lowest of 34 participating transport authorities.
The Bus Safety Feedback Tool can be found on the MCard app and here.
Photos show Emmanuelle Metz with William Gaunt, joint managing director of Sunny Bank Mills
A French cheesemonger who lives in Kirkstall has opened at the award-winning Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley.
Metz Cheesemonger is owned by Emmanuelle Metz, who has more than a decade of experience of selling cheese in both Yorkshire and France.
Emmanuelle’s shop is situated at the front of the mill site in Sandsgate, an historic Edwardian mill building.
Originally from Paris, Emmanuelle is thrilled with her new premises and described her move to Sunny Bank Mills as “a dream come true.”
She explained: “My new base is absolutely perfect. I couldn’t be happier here. The shop is visible from Town Street, Farsley’s main street, and I’m also part of a fantastic mill community. So I’ve got the best of both worlds.
“I have always loved selling and making cheese and, when I came over to Leeds from Paris, I worked in a cheese retailers, and it was a great opportunity to learn all about British cheeses and the cheesemaking community in the UK. It was a delight to take part in the Academy of Cheese Affineur of the Year competition with a beautiful Horsforth Brewery’s stout-washed rind Brie and win the People’s Choice Award. This creation was the start of many others.
“Meanwhile I won the prestigious Best Display Champion category at the Great Yorkshire Show, together with the Gold Awards for Cheeseboard and Grazing Board and a Silver Award for Celebration Cake which really gave me so much pleasure and confidence. What I love most though is to surprise people and my best award is seeing a huge smile on their faces.
“Now I have my very own shop! I want to share my passion and creativity with cheese lovers around Leeds. I very much see it as a melding of French and British culture both of which I am passionate about along with cheese, of course!”
Emmanuelle is keen to stress the difference between mass produced cheese and artisan cheese made by talented cheesemakers.
“The love and care that goes into making cheese by hand, rather than by machine, is reflected in the quality and taste. You cannot beat it. It’s all about sustainability, care, traditions, and everyone deserves to have some really good cheese at any time.
“I am already settling into Sunny Bank Mills and have arranged special cheese nights in conjunction with Amity Brew Co, which is my near neighbour. I will also be having wine pairing nights in the coming year. That’s the joy of Sunny Bank Mills, there’s so much potential collaboration between occupiers. There’s a real spirit of togetherness here.”
So, what single cheese would Emmanuelle recommend?
“That’s a difficult question, as I love them all and my tastes change. But, if pressed right now, I would say Stonebeck Wensleydale, a raw milk farmhouse cheese. It is magnificent.”
William Gaunt, joint managing director of Sunny Bank Mills with his cousin John, commented: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Emmanuelle to Sandsgate. She has already proven she is a talented cheesemonger with the awards she has won and I can personally vouch for the superb quality of her cheeses.”
John Gaunt added: “Metz is a tremendous addition to the diverse range of businesses we have at Sunny Bank Mills. From a vinyl record shop to a jeweller, from a brewery to a gin specialist, from a pizza restaurant to an interior decorator, we have a wonderful array of tenants who are all driven by the pursuit of excellence within our creative environment. It is especially pleasing when they work together, as Emmanuelle is doing with Amity Brew Co.”
During the past 12 years, Sunny Bank Mills has transformed into one of the most exciting and respected cultural and community hubs in the Yorkshire region. It has 100 diverse independent companies and creatives on site bringing 500 sustainable new jobs to West Leeds. It is also home to an acclaimed contemporary Art Gallery and a textile museum and archive.
There will be road closures between 10am until 10pm.
Lowtown from the junction of The Lanes to the main traffic lights in the Centre and Manor House Street will be closed from 10am on Sunday 1 December and will not reopen till 10pm. This is to allow the funfair and stage to be built from 10am and the event will open at 3pm.
Bus services that normally run up/down Lowtown will be diverted along Kent Road, Valley Road and Robin Lane.
The bus station and all car parks will be open as normal.
Pedestrian access to all the shops and businesses will be maintained throughout the time.
Retired: Whistler Roger Cowling at Armley Tesco. Photo: Lou Cunningham
By Lou Cunningham
After 16 years of service as a security guard at Tesco in Armley, Roger Cowling has taken retirement.
The store may seem quieter than usual as you would usually hear Roger whistling or singing well before you saw him.
Roger developed a great relationship with many people in our community and will be missed. As well as tending to the security needs of the store he was a friendly face to many customers.
Roger said that he was looking forward to hanging “his security badge up” and that he would be taking some time to rest and think about what his next plans may be.
Meeting out of the Unity Community Hub in LS12, an enthusiastic action group of parent and community volunteers from Dixons Unity Academy and Whingate Primary School with nearby residents have launched a community street art competition.
The students at both Dixons Unity and Whingate have been creating artwork with the theme ‘community’.
Designs will be painted on as many street cabinets as possible by the famous Burley Banksy, who has done similar street art in other communities such as Bramley, Burley, Kirkstall and Rothwell!
With all student entries now in, the competition was launched publicly this weekend with students, families and the local community being asked to choose their favourite designs. A Facebook video with Principal Ash Jacobs and Councillor Adrian McCluskey (Lab, Farnley & Wortley) is here.
The community are being asked to go to the original post, watch the video and vote for the number of their favourite design.
The street cabinet art will be a visual display of togetherness and joy with the two school communities at the centre. This is just one example of many ways Dixons Unity Academy, part of Dixons Academies Trust, are celebrating the local community of LS12.
Despite being situated on the same street in LS12, the two schools fall under different wards. The street art competition is being supported and funded by the six local councillors across the two wards – Armley and Farnley & Wortley.
This makes it a collaborative project, connecting two different schools, two ward boundaries and two different political parties, showing how connected our diverse community can be.
The Unity Community Hub at Dixons Unity Academy already supports families with a weekly community cafe space, food pantry, uniform exchange, signposting for family support, benefits and employment advice and hosting a varied range of social activities.
The Unity Community Action Group inspire each other to make the community around the school a better place, currently focusing on traffic safety, air quality and making our streets joyful, clean, and attractive.
Through these ideas and connections, they’ve already;
Collected over 100 bags of litter in community litter picks
Become an official Clean Up Hub sponsored by Litter Free Leeds and Clean Up UK. Dixons Unity can loan litter picking equipment (given to us by Clean Up UK) to other groups or individuals.
Supported the schools in reviewing safer traffic measures and parking resulting in a new zebra crossing outside Whingate Primary.
Spread awareness on air quality and impact of ‘engine idling’
Involved children and young people from both schools in leading and driving ideas for change.
Ofsted inspectors have told Crawshaw Academy that it requires improvement in three out of the four categories it has been inspected in.
Its quality of education, behaviour and attitudes of students and leadership and management all need to be improve, inspectors found during a visit in October. The personal development of students was rated as ‘good’.
The school, on Robin Lane, was rated as good in its last inspection in 2019 and bosses at the Red Kite Learning Trust have already appointed Iain Addison as their new headteacher. He will take up his role in January 2025.
Crawshaw Academy, Pudsey. Photo: Google
The report said: “The school has clear ambitions for pupils to achieve their best, underpinned by a belief that they deserve every opportunity to succeed. Older pupils and staff acknowledge the positive changes that are being made to improve the education on offer.
“However, some pupils do not achieve well enough. The quality of education that pupils receive is varied across subjects and within subjects.”
The report expressed concerns over the ‘boisterous’ behaviour of some students.
“The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and attitudes,” the report said. “However, these are not consistently realised. While many pupils exhibit positive behaviour, some do not behave well enough. Some pupils disrupt the learning of others.
“Many pupils are happy here and some describe the school as a family. They know that they are safe and looked after.”
The report adds: “The school and trust have correctly identified and are addressing the areas that need to improve. New leaders are taking the right actions to improve the school. Leaders have worked with determination to improve the quality of education that pupils receive.
“Pupils in some lessons benefit from a well-planned, ambitious curriculum delivered effectively by teaching staff. However, this is not consistently in place in all lessons or all subjects.”
Pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs who attend the ‘Pathways’ provision thrive.
Staff take pride in working at Crawshaw, “knowing the school and trust prioritise their well-being” and offer valuable support and training opportunities.
Director of Secondary Education at Red Kite Learning Trust, Erica Hiorns, said: “Whilst the outcome of this recent inspection is obviously not what we were hoping for, it was not unexpected.
“We had already identified areas in need of improvement and have been working hard over the last year to implement measures to address these concerns.
“We are really pleased that Ofsted recognised the effectiveness of these efforts, and we are confident that with new leadership and collaborative support from across our trust we can cement these changes throughout the school and ensure a consistently high quality of education.”
She added: “We recognise the importance of good attendance and behaviour in supporting student engagement and success and are already supporting staff to work with pupils and their families to implement a new relational-based behaviour system designed to elevate behavioural expectations.
“This system has already received positive support from parents and carers and we are seeing continual improvement in this area.
“This new leadership team has the experience, skills and ambition to ensure the best possible outcomes for every young person in our care, both academically and in relation to their personal development, something that Ofsted noted in its report.”
