The rejection of the plans to build on the Victoria Road playing field was covered yesterday by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
As the article points out, this is “one of the only inner-city green spaces in Leeds” and “the only area suitable for a grass playing field for local primary schools”, so the decision to preserve it is extremely welcome.
We were very pleased to hear the news on Friday that an application to build a 262-bed student accommodation block on the Victoria Road playing field (formerly owned by Leeds Girls High School) has been refused. This application was totally inappropriate in an area which is already very densely populated, but has no public playing fields or exercise facilities, and where local schools don’t have enough space for their pupils to play team sports.
Headingley campaigner Penny Goodman said:
“As a local resident I am so pleased to hear that this development will not be going ahead. I objected to this application when it was first submitted, and was surprised that an appeal was even allowed on the original decision, given how obviously unsuitable the plans were for our area.
I have been really impressed with the support shown by the local community for investing in this site to turn it into a proper sports facility. Now that this latest attempt to build on the playing field has been turned down, I hope and trust that Leeds City Council will support the local community in turning that vision into a reality.”
Today, Greg Mulholland is holding his regular MP’s surgery at Sainsburys in the Arndale Centre, Headingley. He will be there from 12.30 to 1.30 p.m. for constituents to raise any issues which they would like his help with. No appointment is needed.
Full details of Greg’s regular constituency surgeries are available here.
Headingley Liberal Democrats are very pleased to congratulate Sarah Olney on her election to Parliament after another amazing by-election win in Richmond Park.
Sarah overturned a huge 23,000 vote majority to win, ousting pro-Brexit MP Zac Goldsmith and sending a thumping message to the Conservative Government.
Liberal Democrat support is now growing across the country as we show we are now the only party standing up against hard Brexit and for a properly funded NHS.
Many traditional Conservative and Labour voters are now switching to back the Liberal Democrats because of their clear, positive message on Brexit and the NHS.
Three reasons to get involved NOW!
Headingley Liberal Democrats were out on the doorsteps in the Grimthorpes and Trelawns yesterday (despite the fog!), asking residents ‘A Penny for your thoughts’.
Concerns in this area include speeding, noise and burglary. Many residents also expressed surprise that they could not recycle paper, plastic or empty cans from their houses.
If you have an issue which we can help with, or you would like to get involved in our local campaigning, do get in touch.
Today, Greg Mulholland is holding his regular MP’s surgery at Sainsburys in the Arndale Centre, Headingley. He will be there from 12.30 to 1.30 p.m. for constituents to raise any issues which they would like his help with. No appointment is needed.
Full details of Greg’s regular constituency surgeries are available here.
Headingley Liberal Democrats have been out on the doorsteps in the Ashes and Derwentwaters this weekend, asking residents ‘A Penny for your thoughts’.
Residents raised some serious concerns about parking in Ash Crescent in particular, and we also picked up a lot of interest in having better recycling facilities. In this area of Headingley, of course, household recycling facilities are offered on an opt-in only basis.
We will now be working on the issues raised, and reporting back to residents soon.
Every year, thousands of UK students go to study or work in Europe thanks to the EU-funded Erasmus programme. But now that the UK has voted to leave the European Union, our future access to this scheme is at risk.
Many young people living in Headingley have already benefited from the Erasmus scheme, or will want to use it in the future. And the skills and experience which they gain while doing so benefit us all.
That’s why the Liberal Democrats are calling for the Erasmus programme to be protected in any Brexit negotiations. Please sign our petition here.
In May this year, the Transport Secretary ruled that the Leeds NGT trolleybus scheme was ‘not suitable for development’. However, the government agreed that the city of Leeds could still have the £173m public funding which it would have contributed to the trolleybus to spend on alternative transport schemes. The city council is therefore now consulting residents on how they think this money could best be used.
We think it is particularly important for Headingley residents to have their say in this consultation. Previous transport plans such as the trolleybus have proposed major changes to our area, and Headingley residents have needed to play a huge and important role in pointing out their flaws. We should all take this opportunity to feed our views into the development of new schemes from the start, and ensure that they reflect Headingley’s priorities.
The survey is available to take here until 20th September. It does not take long to complete, as it consists mainly of multiple-choice questions with tick-box answers. However, there are also two free text boxes towards the end of the survey, where you can entered more detailed thoughts and ideas of your own.
You might have noticed that the bus shelter opposite Richmond Avenue on Headingley has been replaced with a temporary stop. This happened because a vehicle crashed into the bus shelter which used to stand there, damaging it beyond repair.
The good news is that a new shelter will be installed at this location on July 27th. The work is being done by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, who are responsible for bus shelters in Leeds.