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For sale: Video shows land for proposed housing development in Pudsey

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The site of the proposed development off Owlcotes Road, Pudsey.

Land which has been earmarked for for housing is being advertised for sale – just a few weeks after it received initial planning permission to build dozens of houses.

Outline plans to build at least 65 houses on a greenfield site off Owlcotes Road in Pudsey were approved in principle by Leeds City Council’s south and west plans panel at the end of August, despite 13 local objections.

Commercial real estate business Cushman Wakefield this week released a video of the proposed site to prospective property developers:

A website – which needs a password to enter – has been launched giving more details for developers interested inn buying the site.

Beth McQue, Development Planner at Keyland Developments Ltd, said:

“This site had already been allocated for residential development in the Leeds City Council Site Allocation Plan (2019) and the consent will now enable a housebuilder to bring forward a high-quality scheme to complement the site’s surroundings.

“Our PPA agreements are designed to enable landowners of any scale to maximise the potential from their sites without incurring any risk and in this case we have been able to bring about regeneration of a redundant site and contribute to the local authority’s long-term housing targets.”

Phil Roebuck, Partner at Cushman & Wakefield, added:

“This is an attractive site in a very popular location making it ideal for much needed family housing. The housing market has bounced back strongly post lockdown and we anticipate high levels of demand from regional and national housebuilders.”

Lockdown Life – a short film by West Leeds Men’s Network

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In unprecedented times during the COVID-19 pandemic community support organisation Barca-Leeds and The West Leeds Men’s Network spoke to members of the network to see how life has been like during lockdown…

Armley: Green light for new flats off Town Street, despite concerns

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town street flats
Photo: Google

Scaled-back plans to build a block of nine flats off Armley Town Street have been given the green light by Leeds City Council.

The plans have been reduced from 13 flats originally proposed for the disused site – at the back of William Hill bookies – back in February.

Approving the development, a planning officer concluded:

“It is considered that, following an ongoing process of negotiation to reduce the number of units from thirteen to nine, the number of storeys from four to three, and to increase the number of car parking spaces from six to eight, the development now broadly complies with policy and is not anticipated to result in harm to visual or residential amenity or generate additional demand for on-street parking which could not be met on-site.

“On balance, the scheme is therefore considered acceptable and is recommended for approval under delegated powers, subject to standard conditions.”

Access to the site would be provided by a gated access lane which runs along the northern boundary of the site through to Athlone Street.

Hidden history of city’s magnificent machines on show in Armley

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Fowler traaction engines used during the Boer War

Exported across the globe, they were the extraordinary engines which helped power Leeds to the summit of industrial excellence.

But their unrivalled efficiency was also harnessed to support the growth of huge mining, railway and forced labour operations in hundreds of colonial territories.

Now, thanks to an innovative partnership project at Leeds Industrial Museum, new light is being shed on the complex legacy of the city’s world famous machines.

Through a fascinating collection of archive material and images, curators at the Armley museum and historians at Heritage Corner are working together to re-examine the many different ways Leeds-made locomotives and engines were used.

Exporting engineering and railway products had enabled Leeds companies to amass vast fortunes over hundreds of years, which in turn boosted the growth and success of the city as an industrial hub.

Many of those companies were also heavily involved in supplying equipment for empire-building by Britain and other colonial powers in places like Sierra Leone, where Leeds loco builders Hunslet Engine Co. and Hudswell Clarke exported at least 103 locomotives which were put to work on the controversial Sierra Leone Government Railway.

Colonial railways were usually built so valuable natural resources like ores, diamonds, gold, palm oil and groundnuts could be extracted more efficiently from occupied territories and local populations were often taxed to cover the costs of building them.

Gildersome company Robert Hudson also completed a huge order in 1924 for the Loanda Railway in then Portuguese West Africa, which The League of Nations later found was built using forced labour.

John McGoldrick, Leeds Museums and Galleries’ curator of Industrial History, said:

“Leeds quite rightly has a long and proud history as an industrial trailblazer and a city which led the way in invention and innovation.

“But that success came at a price for people from other parts of the world, where Leeds-made machines were a driving force behind colonial expansion and the widespread plundering of natural resources.

“By using the knowledge and resources we have today and working with organisations like Heritage Corner, we can acknowledge the different and contrasting aspects of our city’s heritage and present a more balanced and complete picture to our visitors.”

Already housed at the museum is Leeds locomotive Aldwyth, twinned with another Manning Wardle locomotive Nellie which was built for the Sierra Leone Government Railway in 1915. The museum has previously worked with Heritage Corner to explore those links and the historic African presence in Yorkshire.

Heritage Corner’s Jordan Keighley said:

“At Heritage Corner our mission is to use research, performance, and collections to challenge misinformation surrounding British colonialism, whilst positively improving the representation of Africans in Europe.

“Working with the brilliant staff at the Leeds Industrial Museum we have delved into the archives to uncover the forgotten experience of the colonial worker, and how their contribution fuelled Britain’s Industrial Revolution. With so much of our country’s wealth being dependent on this trade we can ask: ‘where is the monument to the diamond miners, or the railroad layers, or plantation workers?’ 

“This work takes nothing away from the genius of Leeds, but builds deeper inclusion by highlighting the sacrifice and contributions of many nations to Leeds’s growth. Working with IVE: Ignite and the Geraldine Connor Foundation we hope to use these hidden histories to educate and empower the younger generation.”

Each Leeds Museums and Galleries site has social distancing and hygiene measures in place and booking in advance at some sites is essential. New visitor routes are also in place and some venues have limited access to some areas ensure visitor safety.

Booking is not required at Leeds Industrial Museum and entry is just a pound for those with an LS12 postcode, available with proof of address such as a recent utility bill, passport or driver’s license.

More details of arrangements at individual sites, advice for visitors and details about how to book can be found at: https://museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk/reopening-information/

New performance space and gallery planned for Farsley’s Sunny Bank Mills

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Sunny Banks Mills Farsley
Venue: Farsley's Sunny Banks Mills

Part of historic Sunny Bank Mills in Farsley could be transformed into a performance space and gallery.

Sunny Bank Mills landlords William and John Gaunt aim to transform The Old Woollen mill area in the middle of the site into a multi-functional space, with the option for tenants or performance teams to provide visitors with refreshments.

The move is the latest phase in the multi-million pound regeneration of the former mill site.

A design statement accompanying the application says:

“Trouble at Mill are a local business who have previously held successful ‘pop up events’ on the site, attracting people from outside of the area to Farsley, bringing a social and economic boost to the area – as has the Mill Gallery with various exhibitions.

“The aspiration of the application is to provide a dedicated space for such events.

“The site has been undergoing a demolition and regeneration project, which includes the demolition of redundant warehouse buildings adjacent to the application unit.

“These works have provided an opportunity to realise our aspiration of bringing the public into the heart of the site, and provides new opportunities for small independent businesses to set up in spaces that weren’t previously possible.”

The application adds that one of the key aspirations of the regeneration is to make Sunny Bank Mills more accessible to the wider community:

“The active promotion of the vacant buildings within the site, opening up the frontage and reconnecting Town Street, has already had a positive impact on the economy of the area.

“Further exposure of the site and activity within is encouraging new tenants and steadily regenerating life back into Sunny Bank Mills.

“Consequently the overall development is providing employment opportunities for the local community, opportunities which need to be encouraged at this time in order to boost the economic development of the area.”

The site is now home to many small but varied businesses from photographers, graphic designers and joiners to physios and a social enterprise business.

The planning application can be viewed in full here.

Bramley: Daughter’s Walk of Hope will remember dad who died of brain tumour

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emma bramley fundraiser

A Bramley woman who was just 13 when her dad died from a brain tumour is taking on a Walk of Hope to raise funds for a charity dedicated to finding a cure for the disease.

Emma Hewitt, now 37, will be thinking of her beloved dad Roger as she takes on a solo challenge to cover 26 miles along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal from Kirkstall to Saltaire and back.

Her event on Saturday, 26 September is part of the charity Brain Tumour Research’s annual Walks of Hope which are taking place virtually this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Emma with her sisters and dad, Roger.

Emma is hoping to raise £274 with her walk and you can sponsor her here.

Emma said: 

“It wasn’t long after my 13th birthday in 1996 that dad started to become unwell. He had always been such a fit and active man but suddenly he began to have crippling headaches and struggled to get out of bed which was so out of character for him.

“Dad had always been the first to get up, full of energy, and would take me and my two sisters away on dad and daughter weekends going hiking and climbing mountains.”

Roger and his wife Tonia were shocked to be told initially that he was suffering from stress which was blamed on “being in a household full of women.” 

But within days, he was so ill he went back to hospital and, this time, he was told he had an aggressive and incurable glioblastoma multiforme.

Roger, who had worked as a production manager at a manufacturing company, underwent surgery to fit a shunt to help relieve pressure following a massive seizure but fell into a coma. His condition declined rapidly and he underwent four weeks of radiotherapy, albeit for most of the treatment he was in a coma. He passed away on 14 December, just a couple of days after the radiotherapy finished.

Emma remembered: 

“I was only 13 at the time and my sisters were 15 and ten. We were allowed to take time out of school if we wanted to and spent most of our final days together at the hospital, sleeping on a pull-out sofa. We were so young and, in a way, it was a blessing as it meant we didn’t really know how seriously ill he was and still had hope that Dad would get better.

“Losing him to this dreadful disease has had a profound impact on my life. I am still having therapy as a result and I hope that, by sharing our story, we can help others.” 

Emma as a baby, with dad Roger.

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at dedicated centres in the UK. It also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure.

The charity is calling for a national annual spend of £35 million in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia and is also campaigning for greater re-purposing of drugs.

Mark’s History: The Farsley carver who created the famous figures in Thornton’s Arcade

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thorntons arcade leeds
Thornton's Arcade, Leeds. Photo: Mark Stevenson

Meet John Wormald Appleyard, one-time resident of Water Lane in 1850s Farsley, writes Mark Stevenson.

This is John Wormald Appleyard, with a feather in his cap due to completing this prestigious commission, carved by Benjamin Payle. Photo: Mark Stevenson

He was the eldest (born 1832) of Jabez and Jane Appleyard’s nine children. The Appleyard family gravestone can be found in St John’s Graveyard in Farsley. 

The Appleyard family gravestone in Farsley. Photo: Mark Stevenson

John Wormald Appleyard was a bit of a ‘Jack of All Trades’ when it came to carving. When he had completed his apprenticeship with his grandfather he moved to 4 Hirst Square (Civic Hall stands there now) where he lived for the rest of his life with his wife Elizabeth.

Thornton’s Arcade in Leeds. Photo: Mark Stevenson

In 1871 he was producing sculpture and designs at his workshop in Cookridge Street. He remained there as a Monumental Mason until around 1891.

I was originally going take a pic of all of his work in Leeds but I never really got started as by the time I had taken some pics in Thorntons Arcade in town I had more than enough pics and info. 

Thorntons Arcade was the first of the shopping arcades in town. It was built for Charles Thornton, a local entrepreneur by George Smith in 1877. George Smith had previously built the City Varieties Music Hall for Charles Thornton on Swan Street in 1865.

As I am sure most of you know there is a clock at the Land Lane entrance to Thorntons Arcade that has characters from the novel Ivanhoe striking the clock hourly.

The clock is by Potts (the company started in Pudsey) but the carvings for the arcade are by John Wormald Appleyard.

The four figures on the clock were carved by Appleyard from wood. The figures are of Richard I, Friar Tuck, Robin Hood and the Swineherd Gurth.

thorntons arcade leeds
Famous figures in Thornton’s Arcade, Leeds. Photo: Mark Stevenson

It looks like the figures strike the bells but it is actually hammers hidden behind the display.

John Wormald Appleyard has many works around Leeds that still stand today. A stained glass crucifixion window was found at his studio after his death. You can now see it at St John the Evangelist Church in Farsley.

He died on 14 January 1894 and his buried at Beckett Street Cemetery.

John Appleyard’s graveston in Beckett Street Cemetery. Photo: Mark Stevenson

West Leeds planning applications: 13 September 2020

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Each week we publish a list of new planning applications related to council wards in West Leeds.

The following applications were published on on the Leeds City Council website in the past seven days:

Armley Ward

Bramley & Stanningley Ward

Calverley & Farsley Ward

Farnley & Wortley Ward

Kirkstall Ward

Pudsey Ward

Paul Abraham: Don’t fall victim to the “everything is my fault” approach

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Paul Abraham, speaking at Bramley Lawn.

By Paul Abraham of www.headingonwards.com

When things go wrong, we sometimes start a list of ways we failed, ways we caused the problem. 

This kind of thinking not only can upset us, it can also keep us from being able to function. The truth is that any situation is the result of some things that are in your control and some things that are out of our control. 

Don’t delude yourself into thinking a bad situation is completely of your making.  Remember, it makes more sense to deal with outcomes than with fault.

Imagine you have friends coming for a meal, and the dishwasher is spurting out water. 

The flood is spreading across the kitchen floor, heading for the living room.  You instantly think to yourself “why did I have to do the dishes right now? Or, if I had washed the plates by hand, this wouldn’t be happening. 

If I had waited to use the dishwasher tomorrow, it wouldn’t be ruining the evening right now. It’s obvious, if only I had more sense enough to see the facts, why did I ever buy the dishwasher? I bet if I’d bought a different model, it wouldn’t be flooding my kitchen”

When things go wrong we look to lay blame, and often look in the mirror.  Psychologists have found that many of us fall victim to the “everything is my fault” approach to life. 

Two things we often overlook is how little we directly control a situation and how little value there is in spending our time blaming ourselves.  These thoughts do not fix the problem.  These thoughts do not make anything better. 

Blame is about the past; a plan of action to fix a problem is about is about the future. 

See the problem as a challenge and congratulate yourself when you have accomplished a successful outcome.

Pudsey company helps supply Google Chromebooks to inner city school

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pudsey computers

A Pudsey company has joined with an inner city school and Google Education to supply 450 pupils with Google Chromebooks.

Little London Community Primary School has taken the bold step of ensuring these children will have their own Google Chromebook and internet access so they are covered for every eventuality.

The scheme is the brainchild of Jill Wood, head teacher at Little London Community Primary School, who recognised that a ground-breaking solution was needed post-lockdown.

Little London is an inner-city school of 630 children, where the proportion of disadvantaged pupils is much higher than the national average. Pupils have extremely limited access to technology and the internet outside school.

A quarter of families have either no internet access, or limited access through a mobile phone, making home learning impossible.

Jill enrolled the help of IT provider, Pudsey-based Next Generation IT along with Google Education to provide a ground-breaking solution.

Next Generation IT will begin the Google Chromebook rollout for pupils this month. Secure filtered Internet access will be provided to the 150 families currently without. Each family will receive a 4G router with pre-loaded data which will only work with the managed Chromebook supplied. Jill said:

“We knew we had to deliver a bold solution to ensure that all pupils have access to learning. The return of pupils in September was never going to be straightforward however we have prepared for every eventuality by providing technology that will help all pupils reach their potential.

“We needed to make sure children had their own device that was safe and used purely for education and Steven from Next Generation IT has come up with the perfect solution. The Chromebooks can be used at home and at school and we see them as an essential tool for learning.”

The school has worked with Next Generation IT for over 15 years and has recently opted for Google Classrooms to be setup through DfE grant funding.

Steven Lightfoot, director of Next Generation IT, said:

“Jill Wood is a true visionary and it has been amazing to work with her on this project. Getting the right support for the children drives Jill every day and we were delighted to partner with Google Education to provide a solution that is truly life-changing for the children.

“We will be supporting the school and families during the rollout and look forward to continuing to work with them closely. It’s great to know that whatever happens with schools as they return to their ‘new normal’, the children of Little London Primary School will be equipped to learn whenever and wherever they need to.”

Next Generation IT is the education support department of Pudsey Computers. The company started 30 years ago and is currently supporting or supplying around 70 schools across Leeds Bradford and Kirklees.

Leeds COVID-19 rates rise again – “time to pull together” says council leader

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Leeds Civic Hall.

“We really need everyone to pull together to help us get these rates down and stem the tide.” That’s the message of Leeds City Council’s leader as COVID-19 rates continue to rise in Leeds.

The government has confirmed that the city will not be subject to further COVID-19 restrictions and will instead receive enhanced support towards managing the rise in infection rates.

This means that Leeds will move up one stage from being placed on the government watchlist last week as an area of concern, as the seven-day rate now stands 66 per 100,000 people with a test positivity of 6%.

Enhanced support status means that the council and its partners will work with government on ways to bring down rates of infection, with extra national support and resources.

judith blake
Leeds City Council Leader Cllr Judith Blake

Leeds City Council leader councillor Judith Blake, called on everyone to make renewed attempts to help bring the virus under control. She said:

“People in Leeds aren’t facing further restrictions this week but this continued rise in rates is still of great concern. I’d like to thank everyone who is taking this very worrying situation seriously, and we must remain vigilant.

“We really need everyone to pull together to help us get these rates down and stem the tide. What we all do now will make a direct impact on whether we’re able to bring this terrible virus back under control.

“It will also directly affect decisions as to whether Leeds is considered as an area that may need further restrictions later this month. If levels continue to go up as they are doing this is a real possibility.”

Victoria Eaton, Director of Public Health for Leeds, added:

“I would ask everyone to remind themselves about the safety guidelines on social distancing, handwashing and meeting other people and consider whether they’re still observing them as they’re going about their daily lives.

“These might appear to be small contributions as an individual, but if we all do this it will be the single biggest thing we can do to control the rising rates. How we all manage our personal hygiene and behave around other people is the only preventative measure we currently have.”

In the week when schools re-opened, increased testing and additional contact tracing has led to the successful return of 96% of children to schools in the city, along with the safe return of many to work in the office.

This has been supported by increased awareness-raising and warnings about social distancing regulations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in Leeds. A great deal of work is also going on to support the imminent arrival of students to start the new university year in Leeds.

New univeristy students will be receiving a joint city welcome letter which will also remind them of their responsibilities around safe distancing and not hosting house parties.

The council is stepping up capacity for enforcement working closely with the police – particularly on house parties – and all businesses are urged to adopt the test and trace programme, preferably using QR codes in readiness for the expected launch of the national app’s launch.

For all current coronavirus guidelines and advice visit the government website or Leeds City Council coronavirus information pages.

Pudsey school pays tribute to Dame Diana Rigg

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fulneck school view
Fulneck School in Pudsey

Fulneck School has paid an emotional tribute to actress and former pupil Dame Diana Rigg.

The actress, known for her roles in TV series The Avengers and Game of Thrones, as well as James Bond’s wife in the film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, passed away on Thursday at the age of 82.

Fulneck School paid tribute to their former pupil, posting on Twitter:

“Dame Diana Rigg, known for her roles in TV series The Avengers and Game of Thrones, passed away on Thursday at the age of 82.

“Dame Diana began her career at Fulneck School, then a Girls’ School, in 1950, leaving at the age of 18 to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.

“There seems to be little doubt that she discovered her love for acting through the school’s long-serving drama teacher, Sylvia Greenwood. The two kept in touch for many years, with Dame Diana contributing her own poem of thanks to Mrs Greenwood in 1994.

“At the time, Dame Diana said that “She is unique and I owe her my life in the theatre.” Mrs Greenwood described Dame Diana as self-disciplined and determined, “a very free spirit with a mind of her own”.

“Whilst still at school, Dame Diana’s parts included Orlando in ‘As You Like It’ and Emily Bronte in “The Brontes.” Mrs Greenwood worked closely with her for the audition for RADA and Dame Diana then made her professional debut in 1957 York Festival.

“Fulneck School pupils remained familiar with Dame Diana as her career took in both Doctor Who and Game of Thrones. Dame Diana, having just returned from life in India to austere post-war Yorkshire, described herself as being “like a fish out of water” at Fulneck.

“Later in life, with the late Mrs Greenwood in mind, she wrote that her time here had given her unshakable belief in her potential and confidence to achieve beyond her wildest dreams.”

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