By Don Mort, local democracy reporter
Additional reporting: John Baron
The disused glasshouse in Pudsey Park is set to be transformed into a jungle cafe and classroom after dozens of people expressed support for the scheme.
Plans for the glasshouse would see a new cafe and tropical-themed classroom created after Leeds City Council planners this week approved the scheme.
As reported by WLD last month, applicants Junglebox Ltd builds and manages greenhouses containing classrooms embedded within rainforests.
A planning officer’s report said no objections were received to the application and 69 letters of support were submitted.
One supporter wrote: “Pudsey needs this attraction and the building has been empty and disused for too long.”
Others said the new facility would boost facilities at the park for children and families.
Another added: “The greenhouse is currently an eyesore and needs restoring.”
The council said the development would not impact on people living nearby, or the Pudsey Conservation Area.
The council report approving the plans concluded: “Overall this work will enhance the appearance of the building and is therefore considered acceptable in this conservation area location.”
It added there was “significant local support for the proposals, which are considered to enhance an important community facility in Pudsey Park”.
A design report by Junglebox said visitors to the new centre would feel the experience of a rainforest.
It said: “The smells, the humid heat, the sights and sounds all transport you to another world.”
The new café would be housed in a glasshouse antechamber. The cafe would be fully planted with tall Ficus benjamina trees, with a seating area underneath for refreshments and be open to the public.
A central clearing in the new facility would serve as a dedicated teaching space, the report said.
It said: “Students will learn about the complexity of ecosystems and the importance of biodiversity in the most impactful way possible, through first-hand experience.”
It is also proposed to re-clad the glasshouse in new poly carbonate sheets.
The glasshouse in Pudsey Park closed in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic and subsequent council budget cuts. Junglebox is also hoping to reopen the nearby former West Leeds Country Park Visitors’ Centre as a community and educational space.
Council bosses first invited expressions of interest for the former visitor centre and glasshouse in Autumn 2022.
- WLD reported ‘positive’ discussions over the future of the buildings in December.
- Follow WLD‘s coverage of the centre’s closure and potential new lease of life here.
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