UPDATE: Flood warnings and flood alerts are no longer in place.
ORIGINAL POST: Two flood warnings are currently in place for west Leeds, where ‘flooding is expected’ and ‘immediate action is required’, according to the Environment Agency.
Photo: Environment Agency
Wortley Beck, from Corn Mill Lodge Hotel to Butt Lane, by Farnley Reservoir
Rivers and becks around Farnley Reservoir have been placed on alert, with properties on Pudsey Road – from the Corn Mill Lodge Hotel through to Butt Lane – being told they at risk of flooding.
UPDATE: Philip Kirkby has been found safe and well. Police have thanksed everyone for their help.
ORIGINAL POST: Police are urgently appealing for information to trace a man who has gone missing from home in Pudsey.
Philip Kirby, aged 59, was reported missing from his home at 6.52am this morning (7 October). Police have serious concerns for his welfare
He is driving a dark grey/black Mercedes CLS with the registration JJ51PKJ.
Enquiries have shown the vehicle on the A65 at Addingham heading towards Skipton at about 5.30am this morning and it is believed he may be in the North Yorkshire area.
He is described as white, 5ft 8ins to 5ft 9ins tall, medium build, with grey hair and a grey beard.
Detective Inspector Al Burns, of Leeds District CID, said:
“The circumstances in which he has gone missing give us serious concerns for his welfare and we urgently need to find him and check that he is okay.
“We would like to hear from anyone who has seen him or his car at any point this morning or who has any information that could assist in tracing him. We are particularly keen on any sightings of him in North Yorkshire where he appears to have travelled to.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Leeds District CID via 101 quoting log number 190 of November 7.
In what has to be one of the most overgrown graveyards I have been in Farsley Baptist Burial Ground has five casualties from WW1, writes Mark Stevenson.
I am not sure who was responsible but all of the Commonwealth War Graves are always clear. (Editor’s note: it’s the excellent Friends of Farsley Rehoboth group who have only recently started to buy, reclaim and maintain this historic burial ground in Farsley and provide access to all).
I was able to find all five headstones, three of which have addresses.
F W Ford husband of Lillian Busfield (formerly Ford), of 2, Nether Street Farsley. E Lee son of Harry and Sarah Matilda Lee, of 31, Eggleston St., Rodley. M W Lee husband of Casilla Lee, of 16, Bryan Street Farsley. Arthur Hainsworth Wade son of Frank and Mary Christiana Wade, of Lindfield, New South Wales.
A week or so ago I thought it might be a good idea to take a photo of all the World War One graves in West Leeds.
It soon became clear I would need to narrow it down to get it done in the time I had.
The numbers I use are from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and to make it more manageable I only took a photo of graves with a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone.
Some WW1 war graves have private headstones which meant I would have had to look at all the graves in West Leeds which I did not have time for but I’m sure I will get around to.
Highway ground investigation works are due to start on the A647 this week, with a raft of night-time activities planned.
Leeds City Council are making a range of transport improvements in key locations across the city, with bus priority lanes and other measures planned down the A647.
A spokesperson said:
“Giving buses priority along key routes will make journeys quicker, easier and more appealing, helping to tackle congestion, air quality and health issues.
“Due to the nature of the activities some need to be undertaken at night. We do not envisage these works will cause any major disruption. But to help minimise noise disturbance, we have planned to start first with loud activities each evening.”
Night works will take place from 8pm to 6am Monday to Wednesday and 10pm to 6am Thursday to Friday.
The hours of work for day time activities are 7.30am to 4.30pm, with no works carried out within the carriageway during day time shifts.
When traffic management is required, it will be in the form of localised, single lane closures with two-way temporary lights. There are no planned road closures whilst doing these ground investigation works.
Armley Road area
Night time activities:
Opposite Canal Road to opposite PCM, 6 and 7 November
Canal Road junction and outside Westerly Croft, 7 and 8 November
Pickering Street junction, 11 and 12 November
Abbot Court to opposite Armley Court, 12 – 15 November
Abbot Court to Ledgard Way Junction, 19 and 20 November
Ledgard Way junction to Abbot Court, 20 and 22 November
These works will require temporary lane closures with two-way lights.
Ledgard Way junction
Night time activities:
8 and 11 November
18 – 21 November – these works will require temporary overnight lane closures with two-way traffic lights
Day time activities:
18 – 19 November
Canal Road / Pickering Street junction
Night time activities: 15 November
Day time activities: 18 – 20 November
Pickering Street
Night time activities: 18 – 19 November – these works will require temporary overnight lane closures with two-way lights.
In February 2020, main construction work will start along the A647 between Bradford and Leeds, via Stanningley, Bramley and Armley.
Councillors will next week discuss a list of historic buildings and monuments threatened by neglect and decay across Leeds.
Members of the Joint Plans Panel will hear the work is progressing to restore ‘buildings at risk’ across the city.
In West Leeds, buildings at Grade II Listed Stonebridge Mills in Farnley are still on the ‘at risk’ register, but plans for housing and flats were approved for the site earlier this year.
Some of the notable buildings at risk include Calverley Old Hall in Calverley (which may be restored by the Landmark Trust), and Abbey Mills in Kirkstall, part of which is subject to a proposed community takeover by the Kirkstall Valley Development Trust.
Threatened: Cliff House in Wortley. Photo: Mark Stevenson
An addition to the buildings at risk register is Cliff House School, off Fawcett Lane in Wortley. The building was badly damaged by fire in March 2018.
Armley ward
Armley Park Plaque approximately 40 metres east of Fountain, Stanningley Road
Armley Park Plaque approximately 40 metres west of Fountain, Stanningley Road
Redcote Canal Bridge, Redcote Lane
Weir and Sluice Gates approximately 450 metres North West of Burley Mills, off Kirkstall Road
Weir on River Aire, off Kirkstall Road
Bramley and Stanningley Ward
Pair of Lamp Posts Approximately 3 metres to West of Church of St Thomas, Stanningley Road
Weir and retaining walls on the River Aire, Pollard Lane, Bramley
Calverley and Farsley Ward
Run-down Calverley Old Hall. Photo: The Landmark Trust
Calverley Old Hall, 14-24 Woodhall Road
Farnley and Wortley Ward
Housing: Stonebridge Mills
Barn approximately 75m west of Farnley Hall, Hall Lane
Meter House and two cottages south west of Stonebridge Mills, Stonebridge Lane
The Old Mill, Engine House and Boiler House at Stonebridge Mills, Stonebridge Lane
Row of workshops to the north of Stonebridge Mills, Stonebridge Lane
Row of three cottages to the north west of Stonebridge Mills, Stonebridge Lane
Kirkstall Forge former cottages now offices, Abbey Road
Kirkstall Forge former stables now garages, Abbey Road
There are no identified buildings at risk in Pudsey Ward.
A council report spoke of the so-called “big three” sites on the list – First White Cloth Hall, Victoria and Hunslet Mills, and Temple Works – as having “significant regeneration potential”, and that two of these were currently being refurbished and expected to be completed next year.
It added that regeneration work was also taking place on the Cookridge Hospital, High Royds Hospital and Chapel Allerton Hospital sites.
The document concluded:
“The council is actively involved with the majority of Buildings at Risk which has resulted in eight listed buildings being repaired and brought back into use since the last report in 2018. Intervention by the Council is being prioritised with a focus on the “Big Three” where significant progress has been made.
“The number of Council-owned Buildings at Risk has largely remained the same as 2018, but disposal of several properties should show a marked reduction by the next report in 2020.”
The report is set to be discussed at the authority’s joint plans panel on Thursday, November 14. It can be read in full here.
Furnishing new changing rooms at Wortley FC and tackling speeding drivers in Calverley & Farsley are among a raft of community schemes to receive council funding, writes Luke Seaborne.
The funding for the following projects were approved by the committee:
Changing facilities at Wortley FC
A request for £3,500 has been approved to fund the necessary materials to furnish the interiors of the changing rooms building at Wortley FC.
This follows the successful request for planning permission to create two new pitches at the club’s home off Blue Hill Lane in January. The work itself will be carried out by volunteer tradesmen associated with the club.
Old Farnley & District Community Association
£1,350 has been made available for the Community Centre to buy 50 new chairs, providing more seating room for their regular clubs, classes and other community events.
Calverley & Farsley Speed Indication
Devices
£18,400 in funding for several Speed Indication Devices (SIDs) has been approved by the committee, despite not currently having the budget to finance the whole cost.
Councillor Andrew Carter (Cons, Calverley & Farsley) also expressed a wish for a further two SIDs in the area, bringing the total number of new devices required to seven, with the aim of reducing speeding throughout the Calverley & Farsley ward.
Farsley tree planting
The planting of trees along either side of
the ring road in Farsley as part of a £12,000 project has been completed with
plans to plant in two other locations.
Park safe at Farsley Westroyd
Funding for this project to improve child safety near Farsley Westroyd School and Nursery by adding child shaped road signs near areas where parents should not park their vehicles was approved.
It was noted by the councillors that should every school in the three wards request similar signage, there would not be the budget to fund all the necessary projects. It was suggested that each school be looked at on a case by case basis and priorities assigned based on the level of risk.
50 grit bins in the Pudsey
Plans to install fifty 200 litre grit bins
at an initial cost of £8,861 were approved by the committee. Additional costs
to refill the bins twice a year will need to be requested separately at a later
date. Councillor Andrew Carter said that it may cost over £2,000 per year to
fund the upkeep of the grit bins but that they were definitely a necessity in
certain parts of the ward.
Leeds Watch CCTV funding delayed
A slight miscalculation means that the council will need to provide an additional £5,000 to fund the monitoring, maintenance and BT fibre costs for additional CCTV cameras in the Calverley & Farsley, Farnley & Wortley and Pudsey wards. The projected cost for the project is now £11,000, £6,000 of which has already been made available.
Tyersal Club roof
The cost of £6,275 to re-roof the Tyersal
Residents Association Community Centre has been approved. This amount is significantly
less than the £9,450 originally requested for the project thanks to new
estimates. The club needs to make the roof safe in order to remain open, which
will allow the Youth Project run by Social Services to continue.
The next Outer West Community Committee
meeting is scheduled to take place on February 20th 2020 but the
location of the meeting has not yet been confirmed.
The Outer West Community Committee is made up of councillors from Pudsey, Calverley & Farsley and Farnley & Wortley wards.
Problems with anti-social behaviour in Pudsey were discussed by councillors at the latest Outer West Community Committee meeting, writes Luke Seaborne.
The meeting heard that work is continually being done to tackle the problem, which in several cases has seen arrests made around the bus station and some residential areas.
The issue is not limited to Pudsey, however, as several incidents in Farsley and on the Heights estate in Armley have also been reported, including several occasions where police officers and PCSOs have been attacked with fireworks and other objects.
Several councillors raised concerns that culprits were providing the authorities with false details to avoid further consequences.
They felt that proposed threats to families regarding possible loss of their council tenancy by means of a follow-up letter were often empty, as offenders either did not live in council housing or in several cases were not even from the area, coming from elsewhere to visit friends.
Cllr Amanda Carter
Meeting chair Councillor Amanda Carter (Cons, Calverley & Farsley) said:
“Kids that are usually good kids are being badly behaved [at the moment].”
She described a possible “carrot and stick” approach for a solution and added “there needs to be something for [these] kids to do.”
“Work is currently ongoing with a range of partners to look at enhancing youth provisions locally; to provide young people with interesting, relevant and appropriate activities to undertake.”
The committee agreed that they were pleased with the efforts and actions of the police and the anti-social behaviour team so far.
Pupils at Calverley CE Primary School are being given a chance to improve their sport and PE skills with visits from expert runners, dancers and divers.
Triathlon World champion and Olympic silver medallist Jonny Brownlee will be running some Daily Miles with children in Year 3 and Year 4 next Monday.
Daily Miles see pupils and some staff members walk or run a mile each day which improves fitness levels and is good for mental health.
Jonny may also have the time to be involved in some PE teaching at the school.
Year 4 teacher and PE Leader Will Overton has arranged for the Academy of Northern Ballet to do some dance workshops at the schoolon the same day. The one-hour workshops, called Spotted, are for pupils in Years 3, 4 and 5 and delivered by professional dance teachers from Northern Ballet’s Centre for Advanced Training team.
Some of the pupils might be talent spotted by the training team and be given a “golden ticket” to the You’ve Been Spotted! programme at Academy of Northern Ballet.
This could lead to further training and the possible opportunity to be a part of the Centre for Advanced training which provides a pathway to becoming a professional dancer.
Will Overton said:
“We are really looking forward to Northern Ballet’s and Jonny Brownlee’s visits which will further enhance our sport and PE provision. Our parents, local companies and sport and PE experts are now supporting the most comprehensive sports programme the school has had.”
In addition, members of the City of Leeds Diving Club were at the school to do Talent ID Assessments with a view to providing some lucky children with the opportunity to join the successful club.
The experts are
among others who visit the school to coach pupils in a wide range of sports and
PE activities which helped the school gain the School Games Mark Gold Award in
2018.
Over the past
four years, development of sport and PE has resulted in an increase in the
number of pupils taking up sport and PE activities and coaching sessions and
led to the school gaining all three School Games Mark Awards – Bronze, Silver
and Gold.
The school
previously offered traditional extra-curricular sport staples, such as football
for boys and netball for girls. The offer now includes football for boys and
girls, athletics, cross country running, cricket, golf, climbing, gymnastics,
tennis and orienteering.
Coaching in
Rugby League is proving popular and is provided by former Otley and Keighley
Cougars professional player Sam Gardner and players from the Leeds Rhinos
Foundation.
Golf
development, support by Calverley Golf Club, is also proving popular, as is
cricket coaching, with support from the Chance To Shine coaching programme,
assisted by Yorkshire County Cricket Club
“We are really pleased with the way things have progressed with sport and PE at the school. We have received additional help through sports kit sponsorship and from parents and the Friends of Calverley CE Primary, who supported the creation of our all-weather pitch.
“We have seen a notable increase in the number of children taking part in sport and PE activities, a rise in confidence and a gain in stamina which has resulted in pupils becoming better learners.”
A view of the floods on Kirkstall Road in December 2015. Photo: Lizzie Coombes/@bettylawless
People who live and work in West Leeds are being invited to attend two drop-in events this month to view the first of the detailed proposals for much-needed flood defences.
They will have the opportunity to have a look at the emerging detailed designs and talk to members of the project team responsible for developing the second phase of the flood defences to protect communities upstream of the city centre.
The events will be held at Kirkstall Valley Community Hub, Unit 11, at Kirkstall Bridge Retail Park on:
Tuesday, 12 November, 10am until 2pm;
Monday, 18 November 3pm until 7pm.
The meetings follow concerns from activists in Burley and Kirkstall earlier this year about the lack of consultation over the initial planning application.
Leeds City Council is working in partnership with the Environment Agency to invest up to £112.1 million in flood prevention measures in the River Aire catchment.
Defences will be built along a 14-kilometre stretch, including the A65 Kirkstall Corridor which was badly hit by the impact of Storm Eva at Christmas 2015.
Phase two of the scheme is planned to be delivered in two-steps, the first of which is using £65m funding already secured from the Government, alongside additional financial support from Leeds City Council and partners.
This will reduce the risk of flooding along an 8km stretch of the River Aire from Leeds city centre, through the A65 Kirkstall Road corridor and will provide an initial level of protection against the threat of flooding from the River Aire which equates to a 1 in 100 (1%) chance of flooding in any given year.
This is the same standard that Phase 1 of the scheme currently provides to the city downstream of Leeds station.
The scheme also incorporates a flagship catchment wide Natural Flood Management programme, including the creation of new woodland and other natural features. These will help reduce and mitigate the flow of rainwater into the river and help reduce the impacts of climate change.
Both phases have been developed so that when the second part of phase two is completed, this area of Leeds will receive enhanced protection up to a 1 in 200 (0.5%) chance of flooding in any given year, helping to better protect 1,485 homes and 370 businesses.
Talks are continuing to secure the remainder of the funding to carry out the second step of phase two and complete the scheme in full which, pending further planning approval, would double the standard of protection offered by the whole Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme.
Cllr Judith Blake
Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said:
“With the work on phase two of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme starting shortly, these drop-in sessions are ideal for the local community or anyone interested in the scheme to go along, find out more about it and discuss it with the team.
“With another winter imminent and after all the recent rainfall, we are determined to get on with this work as quickly as we can in order to protect our residents and businesses from the ongoing threat of flooding in Leeds.”
Flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, Adrian Gillsaid:
“These drop in sessions are a great opportunity for people to get a better understanding of what is being planned to protect their local community.
“During this event, the joint Leeds City Council and Environment Agency project team will be available to talk to visitors about any concerns they may have about the construction works and provide clarification about anything that they are uncertain about.
“We’re really pleased to have a new base for the project team in Kirkstall and work with the community and businesses as this crucial work progresses.”
Visitors to the drop-in events will have the chance to ask questions and get more information about the proposed defences.
The plans which will be on display include information on all ten zones than make up step 1 of the project.
The project team has now moved to a new site office on Viaduct Road in Kirkstall, ahead of construction works starting in the area in December. The first zone of work will be from Wellington Road to Wellington Street, north of the train station, where flood defence walls will be constructed.
BMMjv a joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald, was awarded the design and build contract for the project in June this year.
As the project develops, there will be further opportunity for the local community to come into the new site office regularly to get updates on the project as it develops.
St Stephen’s Churchyard in Kirkstall has 12 casualties from World War One, writes Mark Stevenson.
Four of these have headstones and I was able to find an address for the one for F R Fewson, husband of J Fewson, of 5 Beechwood Walk.
A week or so ago I thought it might be a good idea to take a photo of all the World War One graves in West Leeds.
It soon became clear I would need to narrow it down to get it done in the time I had.
The numbers I use are from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and to make it more manageable I only took a photo of graves with a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone.
Some WW1 war graves have private headstones which meant I would have had to look at all the graves in West Leeds which I did not have time for but I’m sure I will get around to.
