By John Baron
Armley shoppers and businesses can have their say on a £2.9 million scheme which could see part of Armley Town Street become bus only.
The scheme aims to deliver a package of improvements making it easier and safer for pedestrians, cyclists and bus users to travel into and through the busy high street.
Council bosses have advertised a raft of traffic regulation orders (TROs) – and people now have until the end of August to have their say on the measures.
The planned changes include:
Wider footways
Four new and five upgraded pedestrian crossings
A bus-only section
Two modal filters (bollards and planters to restrict vehicle access)
20 mph speed restrictions
Nine disabled parking spaces and parking restrictions
13 new trees and 258 sqm of planting beds
During the TRO period (28 days), anyone wishing to make comments in support or against the advertised proposal may do so. All feedback received within the statutory consultation period will be considered in line with the relevant legislation before a final decision is made.
A TRO is a legal document that allows us to change the highway network for all road users, aiming to improve road safety and access to facilities. The TRO will be advertised in local newspapers as well as posters on affected streets.
To make any comments in support of or against the proposed order, e-mail troteam@leeds.gov.uk or write to – TRO Team, City Development, Merrion House, Merrion Street LS2 8LX or specifying the grounds on which your objection or representation is made no later than Monday 31 August 2026.
Alternatively, you can visit the council webpage, tap ‘Tools’ ‘Schemes’ ‘Armley Town Street TRO ’W A34 M A12 S A8 2026’. An interactive map shows which parking and street orders are being proposed.
Construction work is estimated to take 40-50 weeks, subject to guidance from contractors.
A public consultation was first held in summer 2024 into the proposals, which aim to reduce bus delays while improving the street environment for visitors with wider pavements, planting and landscaping and more crossing points.
The scheme was also again discussed at last week’s Armley Forum meeting.
The scheme is part of Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s successful bid of £7.9million from Active Travel England’s Active Travel Fund.
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Firstly let me say that “you can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear” ! Armley town street has changed so much since I was born and bred there and it certainly hasn’t changed for the better.
I don’t honestly know how anybody thinks that a few trees and pot plants will make any difference whatsoever, they’ll probably get nicked or vandalised.
Where exactly are any would-be shoppers going to park, there isn’t anywhere.
Where exactly is the traffic going to be re-directed to away from the main drag ?
If it’s directed down Theaker Lane and past where the Western bingo used to be . . . people will have to dice with death to turn right onto Stanningley Road/Armley Road !
Then there’s the drunks and drug addicts milling about down there, ordinary people don’t/won’t go there because of them as they don’t feel safe and rightly so.
I think this challenge is huge and I can’t really see it working sadly.
They are better place to spend that money that that shit hole as for traffic it going to be hell for many years been asking to change the junction cran lane armley junction and after many years you change it for the better and now your planning on stopping cars going through that change you made was all part of armley transformation plans. It will become more of a ghost town that it already is.
They are spending money because it is a sh!t hole, these types of areas are where investment is needed the most, we can’t just let them rot.
Having lived in Armley all my life l remerber Armley town street been a lovely place to shop.but now it is a shit all,l cant understand why you would spend that amount of money on a place were rats are fit to live.if you want to improve Armley. Get these people of bennifits and make them work.
Hear, hear ! The swamp needs clearing !
People need opportunities and investment brings opportunities
Will trafic be sent down town street . Down theaker lane then have to turn right on Eyers Avenie at the old western bingo. Or will this rat run be blicked. I can only see speed limits and parking spaces no actuall plans of rhe flows og trafic directiom as irs very unclear.
No, the proposal is that traffic will be diverted right up Hall Road past the sports centre, only buses will be able to drive past the Theaker Lane junction. To access Theaker Lane under this proposal you’d have to go down Armley Ridge Road and turn right down Moorfield Road. It’s going to cause heavy traffic on Moorfield Road closing off Town Street.
Looks like they are going to also block access to Eyres Avenue from Theaker Lane by cars.
I have lived in Armley since 1996 , it was a lovely thriving little community back then and for several years to follow , i do not go on Armley Twn St now because it offers me nothing , the banks have gone , Boots chemist , Clinton cards , card factory and the list goes on , all there appears to be is ethnic stores , charity shops , vape shops and takeaways , in my honest opinion I think that amount of money will be better spent elsewhere, such a real shame it has nothing to offer anymore because it was once a lovely little town street
Hear, hear ! I was born in the Modders in 1954 so you can only imagine the changes that I’ve seen. Yes, it WAS a great place to live but sadly no longer and hasn’t been for years now ! Unless it’s put back to how it used to be, nothing will make it any better . . . it’s too late I’m afraid
Lets just leave it to rot then? You should be pleased that they are investing in the area.
I agree – other areas would bite your hand off for an investment like this. It’s use it or lose it. Armley should welcome these changes as a positive thing, alongside the further government investment from the Pride in Place Programme. If this doesn’t go through, Armley is not going to get another chance to make improvements in Town Street. Too much negativity going on here.
We already struggle to turn right out of Eyres Terrace onto Stanningly Road because of traffic leaving the Tesco car park & the blooming bike lane, traffic turning right from Eyres Avenue onto Stanningley Road is going to make it much worse for me and my neighbours
As for Armley Town Street, you’re just making it easier for illegal, electric bikes & scooters to use, these are a nightmare now for pedestrians, how are you going to stop these
It’s just going to make traffic worse on the surrounding roads, let’s hope all the people who have commented on here have emailed the council to raise there concerns otherwise the council will just do this scheme
Myself, and others have e mailed the respective departments, I have also had a petition campaign running, 1,400 signatures so far , plus I am planning deputation to the next Counvil meeting ,
Consider that people are in favour of the scheme too, not everyone is against it.
Hi Glenn, any chance of doing an online petition ?
Having lived in Armley all my life l remerber Armley town street been a lovely place to shop.but now it is a shit all,l cant understand why you would spend that amount of money on a place were rats are fit to live.if you want to improve Armley. Get these people of bennifits and make them work.
These plans are nothing more than a detraction tactic by the council/government to mask the serious issues plaguing many deprived areas in the city. The last “regeneration” of the area has had zero positive impact and here we go again, Round 2. If they truly cared about communities such as this then they would start by investigating all the shops with zero football. They should invest into rehabilitation and community shops to get people into work and caring for the community.
As for the road changes, clearly very little research has been conducted and planning are insane. So ideologically captured they fail to see that removing parking, narrowing traffic on this area is to the detriment of the struggling “genuine” independent shops and retailers. One can’t help but think they want all of these shops to fail so we line the pockets of the elites….
I’ll 2nd your comment ! I’ll just reiterate what I said in mine . . . You can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear ! Armley town street needs to be purged.
I’ll reiterate too, we can’t let places rot. Investment is needed in a deprived area and that’s what is happening.