New homes plan submitted in Farsley

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June 28, 2020

bagley lane housing plans — Plans: Bagley lane. Photo: Google

Eight new homes could be built on land next to of Grade II Listed Poplar Farm on Bagley Lane in Farsley.

Mr J Patel wants to build a combination of two and three-bed houses on a site housing two currently disused light industrial units.

A design and access statement accompanying the application says the units are run down and concludes:

“[The] proposal addresses a housing need within the Farsley area, and looks to sensitively approach a scheme to replace a redundant light industrial site use whilst mitigating impact on the surrounding properties, and protecting the setting and adjacent woodland in a well considered and appropriate manner.
“Therefore it is the belief of the project team that permission should be granted to provide the local district with much-needed residential accommodation.”

The applicant, who also owns Poplar Farmm ran a consultation event earlier this year. One objection has so far been received against the proposals, with concerns including use of materials, flooding, highway access and impact on bats.

The plans can be viewed in full here.

Calverley Library could become new community hub

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June 28, 2020

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Calverley Library and Local History Centre could be refurbished and transformed into a community hub, if plans submitted by Leeds council this week are approved.

The creation of the hub will mean the library and history centre is still housed in the Thornhill Street building, but other council services are also introduced.

Plans include:

A new entrance
New windows and doors
Completion of roof works
New public meeting room and enquiry room
A rendered front elevation
Internal re-plastering and decorating

A council report says:

“The 17 operational Community Hubs continue to develop real integration with a wide range of services and partners including police, health, credit union and the third sector and are providing better outcomes for local people, including helping more people into work.”

The proposals can be viewed in full and commented upon here.

Green light for £5.3m Leeds West Academy expansion to meet demand for school places

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June 28, 2020

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£5.3 million proposals to expand Leeds West Academy from a capacity of 1,200 to 1,500 students have been given the green light by senior councillors.

Members of Leeds council’s executive board have given a provisional go ahead to increase capacity at year 7 from 240 to 300 from September 2022, in a bid to meet rising demand for places at the school on Intake Lane, Rodley.

The final go ahead is subject to the outcome of further detailed design work and the approval of a planning application.

But a council report said a public consultation on the expansion, which was carried out earlier this year, saw 60% or respondents ‘strongly opposed’ or ‘somewhat opposed’ the proposal.

Concerns included the impact on local roads, and a negative impact on teaching and learning. The council says the proposals will not have an adverse impact on either of those issues. A total of 87 consultation responses were received.

It concludes:

“All concerns raised during consultation have been considered, and on balance, the proposal remains strong and addresses the need for school places in the area.
“There is an identified need for additional secondary places in the West area of Leeds to meet anticipated demand over future years. Leeds West Academy is popular and consistently over-subscribed.
“The school is located in an area of high demographic need and the proposed 60 additional permanent year 7 places would address some of the anticipated future local pressure in West Leeds.”

The report says central government has allocated around £5.3m for the expansion, but early feasibility studies indicate the final cost is likely to be lower.

As reported by the Dispatch earlier this month, £110,000 works have already been approved to support a bulge of 2FE for the academic year 2020/21 in September.

Mark’s History: The Armley youngster who lost both parents in World War One

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June 28, 2020

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Many children would have lost a father to the Great War and Harry was no exception. His father, George William Mayne, died on the 20th February 1917, writes Mark Stevenson.

George had worked as a Machine Feeder at a printers’ in Armley. He was called up in 1916 and is buried at Aveluy Wood Cemetery (Lancashire Dump), Mesnil-Martinsart. The inscription on his gravestone reads:

“WE COULD NOT SPARE YOU DADDY, DEAR IN GOD’S KEEPING HARRY.”

The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield; he also partly designed the Headrow in town.

In 1911 Harry (aged one) and his parents were living at his grandparents’ house at 24 Middle Cross Street, Armley.

If, during the Great War, Harry was still living there his grandmother Elizabeth may have been the one looking after him day to day.

Elizabeth had been married to John Sadler (a railway guard) for 29 years and they had three children. It was their daughter Gertrude, Harry’s mum, who was living with them at the time.

Gertrude and George had not long been married.

During the war Gertrude had joined the Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps, maybe in the knowledge that her mum would look after Harry.

Whatever her reason for joining it was whilst serving in the QM Army Aux Corps that she died on the 9th April 1918, however it is not clear how she died. What is clear is that Harry at the age of seven was now an orphan.

West Leeds planning applications: 28 June 2020

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June 28, 2020

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

Please note that due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak Leeds City Council is not accepting written representations made by post. Please make any comments online.

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

Armley Ward

3 trees T1 Sycamore, T2 Birch and T3 Ash – Fell and treat, Unregistered Land Adjacent To 3 Eyres Street, Armley, Leeds LS12 3AZ
Single storey rear extension, 17 Spring Valley Croft, Bramley, Leeds LS13 4RP

Paul Abrahams: Eight tips to help make every moment matter

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June 28, 2020

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Paul Abraham photo — Tips: Bramley's Paul Abraham.

By Paul Abraham of www.headingonwards.com

In our age of digital distraction and instant gratification we often fail to listen and engage very little with our surroundings.

Because of this we let moments slip away, the cultivation and practice of being “in the present” and acknowledging the gift of every special little moment provides us with a calmness and a feeling of wellbeing.

Whether this is watching a setting sun, a start of a flower blooming, your child’s first step or the smell of your favourite perfume or aftershave, make every moment matter. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy the simple things in life.

Dwell in the present. You can’t change the past or predict the future, but here in this moment all possibilities are alive.
Live as everything will happen only once. Be aware of the unique and once-in-a-lifetime nature of each of each meeting or experience.
Do something you’ve never done before. As the saying goes, you can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect different result. Give yourself over to the moment when something unknown begins to blossom within you.
Don’t postpone special points in time. Each opportunity presents itself only once. If you don’t embrace it, it’s lost forever.
Sit down quietly and observe what is going on around you. The simple act of stepping away from the daily hustle and bustle opens the door to wellbeing.
Apply mindfulness to all five senses. Train yourself in the art of listening, watching, touching, tasting and smelling to give each moment the richness of human perception.
Make every gathering a party. Don’t wait for a holiday or birthday to experience extraordinary things. With the right frame of mind, every day can be a celebration.
If you don’t like what there is, make something different. Human beings have the power to reinvent themselves as many times as it takes. If your reality is too dull and predictable, you have the opportunity to create another.

Emergency work to clear railway vegetation between Bramley and Calverley

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June 27, 2020

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Emergency work to reduce overgrown vegetation between Bramley and Calverley will be carried out by Network Rail workers.

Vegetation management work will take place on the railway between Bramley and Calverley, which will take place overnight between 11.45pm on Saturday 27 June and 8.30am on Sunday 28 June.

A Network Rail spokesperson said:

“Vegetation management is important to ensure the smooth running of our railways, reducing delays through issues such as fallen trees and debris on the tracks. This particular work is to reduce the vegetation around Overhead Line Equipment. By doing this we are able to remove vegetation that could hamper journeys for passengers and freight.
“We are mindful that the clearing vegetation can have an impact on local communities, and aim to carry out the majority of the work during daytime hours whenever possible.
“The reason why this work needs to be carried out during the night is because the work is being carried out around overhead lines. This requires them to be switched off which can only be done during the night when they are not in use.”

Network Rail’s maintenance team have delivered notifications to residents living by the side of the railway in this area to inform them of the emergency work.

Donations needed for Bramley foodbank collection

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June 27, 2020

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Donations of food and toiletries have requested for Bramley Care Bears food bank, writes Josie Armitage.

The Bramley and Stanningley Community Foodbank Collection will take place this Sunday and Monday.

There will be a box placed outside the addresses listed below, where you can make a donation of food or toiletries, to Bramley Care Bears food bank.

The current pandemic situation has meant real hardship for some families and as a community Bramley residents want to be able to help families in our area. If you can please donate even one item it will be greatly received.

You can leave donations from 12-4pm on Sunday 28th June and 9am-2pm on Monday 29th June in the boxes outside any of the donation addresses:

23 Broadlea Avenue LS13 2TA
3 Airedale Cliff LS13 1EA
59 Hough Lane LS13 3PS
176 Green Hill Road LS13 4AN
14 Longfield Drive LS13 1JX
83 Victoria Park Grove LS13 2HW
19 Moorland View LS13 1PU

Additionally Bramley Community Centre will be open from 9am on Monday 29th June. There will be a shopping trolley at the entrance to place donations in.

Jools Heselwood, Bramley and Stanningley Councillor said:

“Community food bank collections are a great way for people to help their local food bank. A handful of other areas have done this has had an amazing response.”

Bramley Care Bears have been operating a food bank for quite some time, but during the current pandemic situation is has become an invaluable service especially for people who have unexpectedly lost their jobs.

They have been able to help around 30 families every session, including taking food deliveries to people who have had to shield or isolate.

As local councillors, we thought a community food collection would be a great way for the community to show our appreciation of the work Bramley Care Bears do.

Philip McConnell, from The Bramley Care Bears, said:

“The Bramley Care Bears have been providing food since before the Coronavirus lock down and, thanks to our community partners, we were able to maintain our food distributions while maintaining the social distancing needed.
“We are very thankful to our local Councillors for their support in general but also for coming up with this wonderful idea which will help people to donate food and other items for our food distributions. Many thanks in advance of any and all donations.”

Pudsey: Jigsaw swap group circulates puzzles throughout town

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June 25, 2020

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A Pudsey woman has created a new Facebook group so people can easily swap jigsaws in Pudsey area.

Natalie Cox set the group up after a surge in popularity of the puzzles during lockdown.

She said the aim of the group was to post a picture of what you would like to swap to help keep jigsaws moving around Pudsey. Natalie added:

“I knew a number of isolating older people who had been doing lots of jigsaws during lockdown and started off by doing the jigsaw swap for them really. I’d been trying to swap the puzzles between but they had done most of them.
“I also noticed that the prices have become bonkers in lockdown and wanted to make a way to help people get new jigsaws but without the big price tag.”

So good was the response to the initial appeal, Natalie decided to set up a Facebook group so people of all ages could keep swapping their jigsaws.

“The aim is that when people have completed a jigsaw they’ll put it back up onto the group so someone else can have a go, ” added Natalie. “That way we’ll keep jigsaws circulating around Pudsey. The swap group seems to have really taken off. I’d like to thank everyone who has donated or swapped jigsaws.”

So far the page has seen everything from countryside scenes through to Wallace and Gromit and Christmas jigsaws being swapped. Natalie is now also appealing for children’s jigsaws.

Cleanliness is maintained by wiping down each box with an anti-bacterial wipe and leaving the pieces untouched – in ‘quarantine’ – for at least three days.

Check out the Pudsey Jigsaw Swap here.

Rodley Nature Reserve announces partial re-opening after lockdown

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June 25, 2020

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Rodley Nature Reserve is set to partially re-open on Saturday 11 July, following a further relaxation of Government restrictions.

Trustees say they are ‘aware of the importance of the Reserve to the community’ and have said the Reserve will be reopening – but on a restricted basis.

To mitigate increasing the risk to both visitors and volunteers, the following conditions will apply:

The Reserve will be open Wednesday and Saturday only.
Opening times will be 1pm until 5pm.
Social distancing will apply at all times.

The following facilities will remain closed:

Toilets
Visitor Centre
Viewing Hides
Pond Dipping

Rodley Nature Reserve Trust added:

“The safety of our visitors and volunteers remains paramount and the Trust will keep the situation under continuous review and should the situation change it may be necessary to consider further appropriate measures.
“We ask our visitors to be considerate and allow each other the time and space to enjoy the Reserve.”

The Reserve will partially re-open on Saturday 11 July at 1pm.

Created on a floodplain in Kirkstall Valley on a recognised ‘flyway’ for wildfowl and waders on migration, the wetland habitats complement the nearby River Aire and the Leeds Liverpool Canal.

Three more off-road bikers targeted by police in West Leeds

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June 25, 2020

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Leeds District Off Road Bike Team have taken three more illegal bikers off the road.

Two illegal off roaders were spotted riding down Kirkstall Road. A police spokesperson said:

“Fortunately they didn’t see or hear us until it was too late. This is most likely due to their ridiculously loud exhausts and their clear lack of observation skills. Our encounter ended with our police bike sat on top of one of their suspected stolen bikes.
“We only had to turn the corner to find another rider who had not renewed his CBT. This bike was reported only last week for being a nuisance. The bike was seized and rider will be receiving points and a fine.
“The third was on the way back to the police station for some quality H2O. Again, the rider of this silver bike was all insured, however they had not done their CBT. The bike was seized and the rider had a nice walk home in the sun.”

Police have recently been cracking down on off-road bikers, with operations in Calverley and New Wortley.

Social distancing restrictions aren’t over – Leeds health chief’s stark Covid-19 warning

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June 25, 2020

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Leeds civic hall — Leeds Civic Hall. Photo: WestLeedsDispatch.com

Leeds’s most senior public health chief has warned against thinking the social distancing restrictions are over, following recent announcements from the government, writes Richard Beecham.

Leeds City Council’s director of public health warned services were expecting new cases of Covid-19 throughout the autumn, and called on people in the city to continue two-metre social distancing wherever possible to stop the spread.

It follows an announcement this week from the government that pubs, hairdressers and restaurants could reopen from early July, while the two-metre social distancing requirement has been reduced to “one metre plus”.

But Victoria Eaton, who is responsible for Leeds City Council’s health and care services, believes there is a danger that many people may see the changes as an indication that social distancing is over.

Speaking at an online press conference, she said:

“As the measures come through it becomes even more important that we can swiftly manage any local outbreaks.
“We feel in a really strong place as a city because we have a good track record of outbreaks when they happen. We are not complacent about the challenges ahead – we need to be ready for new cases in the autumn and winter.
“It’s a key question at the moment. It’s really important that as the measures were announced yesterday, it is my understanding that there will be no more announcements on measures for a while – this was the big announcement.
“It is really important that we need to be clear that the decisions announced yesterday are not seen as the end of social distancing – I think there is a real danger of that.
“There is a clear message that it is not a case of ‘anything goes’ now we open other sectors.”

She went on to add previous social distancing rules would still apply wherever possible, adding:

“There are three messages that we are going to stress locally – two metre distancing still applies where possible – It’s not that two metres is out, it only applies where the setting allows it.
“Where that is not possible, it is one metre plus, and where two metres isn’t possible, you should use other ways to stop the spread.”

Where two-metre distancing is not possible, individuals are recommend to wear face masks, standing side to side with someone rather than facing them, and for supermarkets and shops to use perspex screens to avoid the spread of the virus.

“This is the new social distancing that will allow us to open up, rather than the end of social distancing,” she added, “We need to get the message across for people to do the right thing, because there are people who are still very vulnerable to the virus.”

Armley Ward

Bramley & Stanningley Ward

Calverley & Farsley Ward

Farnley & Wortley Ward

Kirkstall Ward

Pudsey Ward