A public meeting will discuss the latest moves to stop council housing being built on a famous former sports pitch in Wortley.
The TV Harrison Community Action Group are fighting to stop 47 new council houses from being built on the Oldfield Lane – and have so far gathered more than 2,700 names on a petition to save the land.
The group is organising a public meeing on Wednesday 27 November at 7.30pm in St Johns Church, Lower Wortley Road to discuss the next moves in their campaign.
Campaigner Aaron Lambert said:
“If you want to stand up and fight for what’s right then now’s the time to step forward. Without people power our kids’ future is far less bright.
“Spread the word and let’s reclaim what our family and friends bought and gifted to the kids of our Leeds in between fighting two world wars. Their legacy will not die.”
Campaigners argue the people of Leeds raised £2,200 and the land was bought in 1929. In 1931 a ceremony took place on the land as the deeds were handed over from the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Alderman G Ratcliffe to a Mr TW Shortridge – as the land was gifted to the school children of Leeds. In the deeds, it states that the land ‘shall be left open and unbuilt upon’.
Three-quarters of the land, close to Wortley Asda, is currently owned by the Leeds School Sports Association, with a quarter owned by Leeds City Council, which wants to own the whole site.
The council wants to build much-needed local authority housing on the land. But campaigners want the site – dubbed ‘Wortley’s Wembley’ where Leeds United players including David Batty, Noel Whelan and Brian Deane all played as youngsters – brought back into community use as sports facilities.
Follow the Dispatch‘s coverage of this issue here.
