This is the archive of the Recent News section of the site.
In here you can find all the articles we have published in the past. (As this is a new page there are no articles from before April 2009).
If you have news items you want to share with us then the best way to do this is via an email to stories@westparkresidents.org.uk.
WPRA AGM at
St Chad's Church of England Primary School
Northolme Ave LS16 5QR
at 7pm on Thursday 24 April 2025
Open to all residents and interested parties
A chance for you to find out what's going on in our area.
Including updates on
. Leeds Bradford Airport
. Lawnswood Roundabout
. Vehicle Protection - Police and Communities Together (PACT)
. West Park Playing Fields
The minutes of the West Park Residents Committee meetings are available on the website westparkresidents.org.uk on the Information Tab above.
GALBA have published an update on the airports plans to expand/redefine night flights. Their update can be found here
Committee members attended a PACT meeting at St Chads. A summary of its contents and actions can be found here
The new playground on the West park fields was officially opened on October 11 2023.
The playground is accessed via a path on Spen Lane. If you have to drive to the playground then please park responsibly as Spen Lane can be very busy.
You may have seen on YTV Calendar, in the Evening Post and on social media that Leeds Bradford Airport, who broke the rules on night flights last year and are on course to do so again this year, wish to alter the rules in future.
Full details of what they are proposing can be found here
GALBA's response to Leeds City Council can be found here
The installation of the children's playground is finally happening on Spen Lane.
The layout of the installation can be found here .
A copy of the letter to local residents can be found here .
The minutes of the Residents Association Committee Meetings are now available on the Website in the Information dropdown Box at the top of the screen.
The latest set of minutes is available at Latest Minutes
An archive of the moniutes From April 2023 onwards is available at Minutes Archive
Sunday 22 January
The annual Peco league cross country races will be held on the morning of Sunday 22 January. The junior races start at 10 am and the seniors at 11am.
The course is expected to be very similar to previous years involving both West Park Fields and Beckett's Park.
The starting and finishing lines will be on West Park Fields adjacent to Spen Lane.
The races involve hundreds of runners of all ages and are well worth watching. The senior races are 4.5 miles long whilst the junior course is 1-2 miles.
Inevitably there will be traffic congestion as there isn't a designated parking area so do expect increased on-street parking especially around the area near the top of Butcher Hill.
Further details can be found on the Peco XC website - this is Race 3 on their calendar.
United Reform Church are holding a Haydn concert on December 11 2022. Click on the image for full details.
The minutes of the Association's AGM for 2022 can be found here.
Dear Friends
After Sunday morning worship at 10.30 am, the West Park church doors will remain open from 12 noon until
2.00 pm for those who might wish to spend time in prayer, contemplation and reflection following Queen Elizabeth's death.
I will be available in the background if needed to talk with anyone who wishes and to offer support and a listening ear as we share memories.
Please feel free to circulate this news to those who might wish to come and especially in our local community.
Thank you
Every blessing
Revd Geoff Ellis
West Park United Reformed Church
The Leeds URC Partnership
Following on from the band concert on West Park Fields, there is another concert on Beckett Park Fields (Batcliffe Drive) on July 10th.
Party from 1 until 5, Music 2:30 - 4:30.
More details can be seen on their advertising post here
Despite the cold weather there was a good turnout
of people to listen to the Garforth Band playing a varied selection of tunes on the West Park Fields on Sunday.
After many years as chairman of West Park Residents Doug Kemp has decided it is time to hand over the chair to someone new.
Doug has been a strong chairman over the years, sterring us through the NGT trolleybus, the airport expansion and many other local and citywide problems.
We wish him all the best in the future.
The new chairman is Graham Sugden and his introduction to his role can be found here
We welcome Graham in his new role as well as his continuing chair of the Lawnswood roundabout group.
Garforth Jubilee Band will be performing on the West Park Fields (Spen Lane near the Co-op) on 29 May 2.30 to 4.30PM. Free admission.
Full details of the concert can be seen here
Please see the details of Leeds concerts for the summer. here
Leeds City Council have produced revised pland for the roundabout at Lawnswood and there are two public consultation events
where they will be explained/discussed. These are:
8 December, 2pm to 7pm,
St. Chads Parish Centre,
Otley Road, Leeds, LS16 5JT
and
11 December, 11am to 3pm,
Weetwood Hall Estate,
Otley Road, Leeds, LS16 5PS
The area under discussion can be seen here
The invitation to the meeting can be seen here
The Covid restrictions have slowed down the development of the West Park Fields site. However, after a recent
meeting with the council Parks department,
please see the following status updates for future developments on the West Park Fields.
West Park Fields Update
West Park Fields Action Plan
URGENT - ACTION REQUIRED
The flyer can be accessed here
It is important that you make your views known to Leed City Council via the planning portal.
More information is also available here.
URGENT - ACTION REQUIRED
There are plans afoot to make big changes at LBA. The planning application reference for all this is 20/02559/FU. It is up for consideration now and the Council are already accepting comments from interested parties.
The application incorporates the construction of a new terminal and probably the most immediate aspect for Leeds residents is an increase in the permitted night flying hours. If the application is successful, the daytime operating hours will be brought forward to 06:00 in the morning (from 07:00 as at present) and extended to 23:30 (from 23:00) in the evening.
The planning application has serious implications for noise, the environment, carbon emissions and traffic issues.
More detailed information can be found by visiting the GALBA website
It is important that you make your views known to Leed City Council via the planning portal.
More information is also available here.
Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic we have decided to postpone the AGM until later in the year. Please watch for emails or check this website for further details.
There will be a concert on June 2, 2019 on the West Park Fields site (Spen Lane side) between 2:30 and 4:30. Garforth Jubilee Band will be performing.
Monday 25th March - 7:00 pm - Lawnswood School
In the main hall of Lawnswood School
WPRA is pleased to accept the kind offer from the staff and pupils to hold
the AGM at the school.
Plenty of car parking - please use the access
from Otley Road (just before the roundabout).
If you can't be there but want to make a comment, please email
westpark.residents@ntlworld.com.
Agenda items include:
election of WPRA committee; local traffic and parking;
feedback from the Leeds Beckett University parking survey; report from Friends of West Park
fields; and an opportunity to raise any issues with your local councilors.
We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.
This will be held on Saturday November 17th from 11am to 1.30pm.
Gifts, toys, charity stalls, Tombola and raffle.
Treat yourself to a tasy hot lunch.
West Park United Reform Church, Spen Lane
New to the site is an archive of email circulars which have been sent to members.
The most recent circulars are available in the right hand column of most pages.
The entire archive is accessed from the Association menu or here.
LCC have published a set of proposals for changes to the A660 through our area and they
are asking for public comments. The details of the proposals can be found on
https://a660qtc.commonplace.is/ with some WPRA comments on our FaceBook page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2089611554605241/?ref=bookmarks.
In particular there is a public meeting about these proposals at St Chad's Parish Centre, 10am - 2pm, this coming Saturday (30-06-2018).
If you cannot make this meeting then dates and locations are:
Please be aware that there have been several break-ins recently in the area, including two on Helmsley Road and one on Northholme Avenue. It appears they are targeting cars and whatever they can fit into them. At one of them they were disturbed having gained entry via a side window. The police have a useful list of tips at this link , such as "Hide all keys, including car keys, out of sight and away from the letterbox (remember a device could be used to hook keys through the letterbox)".
Along with many other organisations, the Association has to tell you what we do with the information you give us when you join.
This link Data Protection Policy explains our policy and what to do if you no longer want us to email you with local information.
The North West Leeds Transport Forum has produced a paper as a response to the problems of traffic flow on the A660 into and put of Leeds. This document can be read here. Comments on the document can be sent to chair@westparkresidents.org.uk.
Friends of West Park Fields Community Orchard invite you to a BLOSSOM DAY On Saturday 28 April From 11.30 a.m. - 2.30 p.m. in our Community Orchard at the far end of Kepstorn Rd, LS16 5HT. Bring your own picnic and mats/chairs and Invite your neighbours.
Enjoy the blossom colours of the fruiting trees, the whites of the pear. damson and plum and the pinks of the many varieties of apple trees. There will be story-telling and games for the children from 11.30 a.m.- 1.30 p.m. (as arranged by the sponsors of "Helping Britain blossom". We look forward to seeing you there!
We now have a FaceBook group for residents of West Park Leeds which is intended to let people know what is happening in the area. You can access it here or via the FaceBook link on the top menu bar. It is also accessible by searching for 'West Park Leeds Residents Association' on FaceBook. Once you are on the group's page, click on Join. You do not have to be a member of the Association to join the group although we would encourage you to be a member.
Beckett University have lodged a new planning application, which WPRA think will
adversely affect our membership by further aggravating parking problems in the West Park area.
The WPRA circular which gives the association's position on the proposals can be read here.
This circular suggests documents in the planning application which are particularly relevant to the parking problems in our area.
If you just want to look at the planning application directly then the plans are available to view on the council website via
application number 17/0673
Residents are encouraged to look at these plans and to comment on them via the council website.
Please also copy your comments to the association via
chair@westparkresidents.org.uk.
Saturday 28th October - 11.00am to 2.00pm
At the Community Orchard on West Park Fields
which is at the junction of Kepstorn Road and Northolme Crescent
Come and help celebrate the progress of our community orchard planted last year with the support of the national Orchard Project here in Leeds (Helping Britain Blossom) and Parks and Countryside (LCC). The orchard contains 28 fruit and nut trees with a number of varieties of apples, pears, plums and hazels and one mulberry.
St Chad's Primary school
No proposal has yet been submitted to Fields-in-Trust by Leeds City Council. There also does not seem to be any plans available regarding the position and location for the school sports pitch.
20 mph Speed zone for West Park
These proposals are about to become public, and there will be an opportunity for residents to comment. It is likely that traffic calming will be proposed for Spen Road and West Park Drive. Once details become available, WPRA will provide further information.
West Park Centre Housing development
Plans for the housing development will be available for inspection and comment on Wednesday 12th July between 4.00pm - 6.00 pm at the United Reformed Church on Spen Lane.
For all these issues more details will be sent out once additional information is available.
Leeds City Council have arranged a lot of band concerts in parks across Leeds, some of which are in our area. West Park Fields Sunday 18 June - Garforth Jubilee Band The Hollies Sunday 9 July - The Spa Quartet Beckett Park Sunday 16 July - Bassa Bassa
ON the 9 March 2016 the Friends of West Park Fields, ably assisted by the Parks and Recreation department of Leeds City Council, planted 25 trees of varying types including apples. pears, plums and hazels and one mulberry to create the WPRA community orchard. The orchard is located on the field known locally as "the hayfield" and can be accessed at the junction of Kepstorn Road and Northolme Crescent. The trees and instruction on the best way to plant them to ensure their growth were provided by the Urban Orchard Project. The weather was less than kind to the group and the field was extremely muddy as can be seen from the photographs here.
The Resident's Association has formed a sub-group specifically aimed at developing and improving the West Park fields. Details of the current actions of the group can be found in the December 2015 Chronicle, accessed here If you are interested in the future use of the fields and wish to join the group then Click joinfowpf to send us your details.
The North West Leeds Transport Forum has prepared some proposals for the development of transport in the local area. These proposals draw on published documents, blue-sky thinking and discussions with interested parties. The proposals are in full accord with national and local priorities. We believe that, for a number of reasons, including the prospect of increased devolution to the Leeds City Region, their potential inclusion in Leeds transport strategy should be considered as a matter of urgency. An executive summary of the proposals can be found here and the complete document can be found here.
Many of you will know that the public inquiry for NGT has now finished. The North West Leeds Transport Forum website has been updated with an analysis of what happened at the inquiry and what happens next so please check there for the latest information.
Many of you will also know that the public inquiry timescale has been greatly extended due to the number of objectors and the detailed analysis of their objections. Because of this extended timescal there is a holiday period and therefore the Inquiry will adjourn at lunch on Thursday 24th July and resume Tuesday, 2nd September. As you may know a complete set of audio recordings have been made by the objectors which is available for you to listen to. As this consists of many individual recordings we have included an index to the recordings which can be accessed here.
Many of you will know that the public equiry is being held at Regus 2 Wellington Place, Leeds LS1 4AP and the public is invited to drop in and listen to any of the sessions. The enquiry has its own website which can be found at NGT public Enquiry. There is also a recording being made of all the sessions if you cannot get to the venue. This recording can accessed at NGT enquiry blog. This link is the first day of the recordings and you can hear the other days recordings and together with commentary by clicking on the links for May in the Blog Archive.
This year we'll be holding the association's AGM at 7:00pm on Monday 31st March.
It will be in the School Hall at Lawnswood School, by courtesy of the staff and pupils
, and local councillors have been invited.
As always the AGM is an opportunity to meet your neighbours
, elect the committee, and get updates on local affairs.
However this year is rather special because the Public Inquiry into the NGT
Trolleybus scheme is due to start on 29th April, so NGT will again be the major
item on the agenda. Other items will include the new Neighbourhood Design Statement
, and the fate of the site of the former West Park Centre.
The AGM is also a convenient way to enrol or renew your membership
for the year 2014-2015. This year your committee have seen fit to increase
the membership fee to 5 pounds per family, after over ten years at 3 pounds. We hope
you'll consider this to be still a trivial sum considering the benefits
of having a bunch of dedicated volunteers guard your interests as
residents of this very pleasant neighbourhood.
NWLTF was set up to provide a source of information about the proposed NGT developments. It draws its membership from local resident and community associations, and liaises closely with local businesses. Its objective is to help and support local communities to evaluate the likely effects of the NGT proposals on their area and residents. NWLTF is co-chaired by Doug Kemp who is chairman of the West Park Resident's Association and Martyn Thomas who is chairman of the Weetwood Resident's Association. NWLTF has the most up-to-date information on the progress of WPRA's input to the NGT campaign and can be found at North West Leeds Transport Forum.
A Public Enquiry has been announced, although as yet no date has been arranged.
If you submitted an objection you will have been asked whether you would like to appear at the
inquiry ie. Present oral evidence.
If you have decided not to speak, there is nothing else that you need to do BUT:
You can submit further detailed evidence before the inquiry starts to improve your objection.
You can still write into newspapers such as the Yorkshire Evening Post.
WHAT YOU MUST DO NOW IF YOU'RE SPEAKING AT THE PUBLIC ENQUIRY
If you asked to speak at the inquiry, then you need to prepare a STATEMENT of CASE (SoC). This is
a written statement giving full details of the case you want to present to the inquiry.
You MUST send in a Statement of Case (SoC) to arrive before the 30th January.
If you consider that your original objection letter provides sufficient detail of your objection then
you MUST write in asking that your objection letter be treated as your Statement of Case,
commenting that you reserve the right to supplement your SoC in the future.
It is important that any SoC should include a list of the documents you may want to make
reference to, along with relevant extracts from these documents. The inspector will only have hard
copies of papers from NGT and relevant Govt policy documents. They almost certainly will not have
any local government ones.
This must be done straight away, and MUST arrive no later than Thursday 30th January, at the
following addresses:
Angela Foster
Department for Transport
Transport & Works Act Orders Unit
General Counsel's Office
Zone 1/18
Great Minster House
33 Horsferry Road
LONDON
SW1P 4DR
NGT Metro
c/0 Bircham Dyson Bell
Solicitors and Parliamentary Agents
50 Broadway
LONDON
SW1H 0BL
NOTE: All SoC's will be published on an official website
If you have not sent your comments/objections to the Secretary of State concerning the NGT proposals then you need to do this by 31 October 2013. Details of how can be found on NGT a time for ACTION. WPRA and Weetwood RA held two public meetings which gave an analysis of the NGT proposals. These meetings were extremely well attended and good audience participation enabled the sharing of views. The Powerpoint presentation containing the analysis can be found here or by following the link in the left menu from NGT a time for ACTION.
As you can see from the paragraphs above, the Transport and Works Act Order for the trolleybus scheme has been published and the consultation process is now in progress. You have until 31 October 2013 to respond with your opinions and you can see detailed information on the process on NGT - a time for ACTION.
After the overwhelming turnout at the last presentation we are pleased to announce that A660 Joint Council is repeating the "Whither the trolleybus" presentation at the HEART centre on Bennett Road. There will be a donation box on the door to cover expenses, including room hire. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Whither the Trolleybus" Heart - Headingley Enterprise and Arts Centre (HEART) Bennett Road, Leeds, LS63HN Wednesday 25th March 7.00 pm "A considered treatise on why NGT is not good for Leeds" Presented by Hon Alderman D H Townsley, Chartered Engineer, Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Member of the Chartered Management Institute Many people are questioning whether the New Generation Transport (NGT) trolley bus scheme is appropriate for Leeds. This event provides an opportunity to question the issues and promises associated with the NGT.
WPRA are happy to announce the following important event on behalf of the A660 Joint Council and we hope you'll be able to attend. There will be a donation box on the door to cover expenses, including room hire. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Whither the Trolleybus" Heart - Headingley Enterprise and Arts Centre (HEART) Bennett Road, Leeds, LS63HN Wednesday 27th February 7.00 pm "A considered treatise on why NGT is not good for Leeds" Presented by Hon Alderman D H Townsley, Chartered Engineer, Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Member of the Chartered Management Institute Many people are questioning whether the New Generation Transport (NGT) trolley bus scheme is appropriate for Leeds. This event provides an opportunity to question the issues and promises associated with the NGT.
Many thanks to the 200+ residents who attended the New Generation Transport (NGT) event held at St Andrew's church hall last Saturday (17-11-2012). As the photos below show, it was very well attended.
The NGT team is new and picking up matters from where they were about two years back, and this was the first public event since then. The high turnout seemed to be greater than the NGT people were expecting and the display facilities could have been better.
Once they become more definite WPRA will publish further details of the whole NGT submission process, which is expected to include a public enquiry. It's clear that there's a lot of concern over exactly what's being planned. If the project gets the go-ahead, then it will affect most of the West Park area in one way or another.
Don't forget, NGT will still affect you even if you don't live on Otley Road.
Two further NGT consultation meetings have been planned as below. Please be sure to use these opportunities to find out what may be in store for you and your neighbours.
NGT Consultation Event, Saturday, 17-11-12, 10-12 noon The Church Hall, St Andrews Church, Butcher Hill. This 'drop-in' event is a major opportunity for local residents to examine the detailed plans for the West Park section of the proposed new New Generation Transport scheme, and to influence the design while they are still a 'work-in-progress'. A new flyer will be going through letter boxes for those not on email. THIS WILL PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS TO EXAMINE THE PLANS FOR THE WEST PARK SECTION OF THE PROPOSED NGT. THIS SECTION COVERS THE STOPS FROM CHURCHWOOD AVENUE UP TO THE BODINGTON PARK and RIDE, AND THE OTLEY OLD ROAD STOPS UP TO THE WISE OWL (now the Health Centre). Current 'work-in-progress' detailed plans will be available, and planners from the NGT team will be to answer resident's queries.. NGT is a major project and will undoubtedly lead to significant changes along the A660 corridor, and certainly affect the West Park area in terms of traffic movements and the general West Park environment.. This drop-in session has been organised specifically at the request of West Park Residents Association and will enable local residents to see in detail the plans as they currently stand, and to talk to the NGT planning team. Please come if you possibly can! The NGT scheme will affect the lives of all residents, not just those adjacent to the Otley Road. Also please will you alert your neighbours to the event!
Leeds Civic Trust have installed a blue plaque on 2 Darnley Road in West Park to commemorate the fact that J R R Tolkien lived there between 1924 and 1925 whilst he was working as a Reader in the English department of the University of Leeds. Photographs of the unveiling ceremory which took place at 11:30 on 1 October 2012 can be found at Tolkien Plaque.
As was described at the AGM there is a new neighbourhood design statement (NDS) for West Park. The descriptive text for the NDS can be read at NDS and the associated maps are in NDS maps which show the area covered.
The West Park Residents Association Annual General Meeting will be held in the West Park Centre rehearsal room at 19:30 on Wednesday 25 April 2012. Please come and support the group. Issues of concern include Lawnswood school and the future the West Park centre amongst others. Current and prospective local councillors are expected to be there so come and tell us and them what you think. Watch out for the next newsletter which will contain more details. We look forward to seeing you there on the day. Please note that you can renew your membership of the Association at the same time. The membership fee remains at 3 pounds for the full year.
WPRA is a non-political organisation working for the benefit of the West Park community. It is happy to work with elected local members of parliament and councillors, of whatever party, in support of the community, BUT it does not endorse any party or candidate. Note: Sometimes candidates may refer to WPRA in their pamphlets; if this is the case they have done so without WPRA's permission.
At the AGM (did you attend?) the police advised that there has been an increasing spate of burglaries involving Euro Profile locks on UPVC doors. These locks are commonly fitted as standard with these doors. The recommendation from the Police is to replace these locks with the much more secure Euro Secure ones. This is a simple procedure which you can carry out yourself. More details of this can be found on the CASAC website by clicking on CASAC. The following two video clips show how to change one yourself Measuring your lock and Changing your lock.
Members should be aware that people are receiving telephone calls purportig to be able to save them money on Council Tax. This is a scam and you are recommended to hang up if you receive such a call. Full details of the scam can be found on the BBC website at council tax refund scam
The latest Chronicle for the Association is now available with details of the AGM, the future of the West Park Centre, Lawnswood School, NGT current state, grass verge problems in our area and the West Park fields village green application. It can be read by clicking on the link of the left hand menu. Remember the AGM will be held in the West Park Centre on the 30th March 2011 at 19:30. Come along and meet councillors, Police, the Lawnswood head and others. We look forward to seeing you there. Please note that you can renew your membership of the Association at the same time. The membership fee remains at 3 pounds for the full year.
The West Park Residents Association Annual General Meeting will be held in the West Park Centre rehearsal room at 19:30 on March 30 2011. Please come and support the group. Issues of concern include Lawnswood school and the future the West Park centre amongst others. Current and prospective local councillors are expected to be there so come and tell us and them what you think. Watch out for the next newsletter which will contain more details. We look forward to seeing you there on the day. Please note that you can renew your membership of the Association at the same time. The membership fee remains at 3 pounds for the full year.
The latest edition of the WPRA Chronicle has been sent out and contains information about the RPZ, the future of the West Park Centre as well as NGT and the West PArk fields bid for village green status. You can read the Chronicle online via the link in the left menu. Also watch this site for details of the Annual General Meeting which, at members request, will be held slightly later in the year.
Signs are going up on all the streets where resident's parking will be implemented. The observant amongst you will notice that they say Mon-Sat for the restrictions. This is WRONG - they should say Mon-Fri. Highways confirm that they will be changed 'as soon as is practicable'. Hopefully no-one will be fined on a Saturday - should any tickets be issued then appeal them immediately. The equally observant amongst you will realise that no-one has been invited to apply for parking permits. This will also happen 'in the near future' - so the scheme, though active in theory, is not being monitored yet. There are still a couple of minor glitches with the yellow lines to be sorted out and some more parking bays to be added on Welburn Avenue. Any problems with this implementation please contact Richard Ellis in the Highways department of the council. His contact number is 3951396.
New Generation Transport - there will be a meeting where you can find out the implications of this trolley bus system for West Park. The meeting will be held in Room 4 at the West Park Centre (Spen Lane) on 20 April 2010 at 7:00 PM. Some of the implications are that Kepstorn Road is likely to be closed with all traffic from the estate being forced onto Ancaster Road; the West PArk roundabout being replaced with a very complex system of traffic lights and islands; loss of mature trees on Oltey Road and the possible loss of sections of front gardens to cope with road widening. Come to the meeting to make your views known. Even if the actual implementation of the NGT is in the future, now is the time to influence the planning and design process. More details of the meeting are located here.
New Generation Transport - At the last meeting (which was well attended by over 70 people) WPRA were asked to arrange a follow-up meeting during a weekend day to allow more people to view the proposals and to comment. This meeting has been arranged for SATURDAY 15th of May 2010 in room 2 at the West Park Centre on Spen Lane between 10:00 and 12:00. There will not be a presentation but the plans will be available for viewing and there will be members of the development team there to explain them and to receive comments. Visitors will be able to leave written comments as well. There will also be some meetings held at the Holt Park Centre between the 20th and 22nd of May 2010. More details of all these meetings are given here.
There is a new WPRA Chronicle out which members should receive soon by email or letterbox drop. Amongst other things it gives details of the AGM which will be held at the West Park Centre on 24th March 2010 at 7:30 PM. There is also some information on the NGT trolley bus proposals for our area (which will have major effects on the Kepstorn Road/Otley Road/Spen Road junction and the Otley Road/Ring Road roundabout). There is also the start of a discussion about the future use of the Wset Park Centre itself as well as the usual (ubfortunately) commentary on the parking issues and Lawnswood School. The Chronicle can be accessed via the link on the left menu
There is a new WPRA Chronicle out which members should receive soon by email or letterbox drop. It details the latest state of play on the Resident's Parking scheme, the West Park Centre and Lawnswood School amongst other things. You can access it via the link on the left which saves it all being repeated here. It is worth repeating that WPRA is only one voice in all of this and the powers that be take more notice of many individual comments that a summary from us. So, if something is worrying you then contact your councillors and others via useful links. It only remains for us to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
The Highways meeting took place on 17 November and, all the objections except a minor one concerning the length of a section of yellow line were overruled by the board. The report submitted to the board can be found here on the LCC website. Clearly this was an outcome which will not please residents in Kepstorn Road in particular which remains outside the resident's parking zone and available for rendom parking. It seems a perverse decision to include a strip of free parking in the middle of a resident only zone. Other residents of nearby streets will be relieved that some of the parking problems will hopefully soon be resolved. Implementation of the scheme 'normally takes about eight weeks to programme the work, although it is likely that the Christmas period will add to this timescale'. It is not clear whether 'programme' in this context means plan the work or complete it!
Incidentally, a one-off survey carried out on Friday 27 November revealed approximately 150 parking spaces free on the LMU campus so it is clear that on that day all members of staff wishing to park could have been accommodated on campus. Your local councillors can be contacted using the information on links if you wish to give them your views. Please include us in any emails so we can keep an overview ( leedsmetparking@westparkresidents.org.uk).
A further update has been received from Highways about the status of the TRO for our area. There are 18 different objections from around 50 people and a report has been prepared for submission to the next Highways Board which meets in November. If the Board overturns the objections, or any recommended changes are minor then the restrictions can be implemented in a month from the meeting. If changes are major then the legal process (notices, advertising etc) will have to be gone through again and this will clearly delay the implementation. Meanwhile, continue to contact the police to report any parking which prevents access to drives or blocks roads.
The folowing information has been received from Richard Ellis from the Highways department detailing the process which will take place to deal wih the objections and comments received abount the Transport Restriction Order for our area.
These are now available from the Leeds City Council website at http://www.leeds.gov.uk/Transport_and_streets/Roads_highways_and_pavements/Roads__enforcement.aspx. There are two links in the Downloads column on the right hand side of the page which refer to the Ancaster Road/Glen Road TRO.
The council have started the legal consultation process concerning the proposed traffic restrictions for the West Park and Glen Road area to try to deal with the traffic and parking problems caused by Leeds Metropolitan University and Richmond House School. The full details of these proposals are located here here. All comments (for and against) should be submitted by 7 September 2009 to the addresses detailed in Formal Notice as well.
Hopefully you went to see the NGT exhibition at St Chad's Parish Centre and now know all about the proposed trolleybus scheme for this area (and other parts of Leeds. This will combine with a park-and-ride facility at Boddington to hopefully improve the travel into Leeds from this area. However, it does have implications for us. In particular the current proposals appear to close off the entrance into Otley Road from Kepstorn Road to provide a trolleybus stop. The effect of this is that the only exit from the Kepstorn/Ancaster/Helmsley/Nothhole estate will be via Ancaster Road - with all the difficulties this entails for ratrunning of the streets and the difficulty of turning right into Leeds. If you have an opinion on this the you are encouraged to make this clear via the public questionnaire on www.ngtmetro.com/proposals where you can also see the plans.
The latest status report is that the Transport Regulation Order (TRO) is with the Council's legal department for checking. This is expected to take around 5 weeks and then there will be a one month consultation period for objections. The proposals have been modified recently to provide 24 two hour parking spaces on Kepstorn Road to help solve the potential problem of parking for the shops.
The weather was kind to us and a lot of people turned up to drink a glass of wine or two at each venue and to chat. Thanks to all the hosts who provided a magnificent spread of food and drink. The walk made a small profit of just over 3 pounds which has been donated to charity.
Every effort has been made to try to ensure that the information provided on this website is correct. If it is felt that any detail is incorrect, please contact us at chair@westparkresidents.org.uk| Date | Circular |
|---|---|
| 09/07/2024 | June 24 committee meeting minutes.pdf |
| 04/03/2024 | Newsletter AGM invitation March 2024 .pdf |
| 08/02/2024 | PACT report Jan 2024.pdf |
| 06/09/2022 | august 2022 committee meeting notes.pdf |
| 06/09/2022 | AGM 2022 Invitation.pdf |
| 18/01/2022 | Congestion in West Park on Sunday 23.pdf |
| 11/03/2021 | More on Plans for a New Airport Terminal.pdf |
| 25/06/2020 | LCC coronavirus news and Airport expansion plans.pdf |
| 18/05/2020 | Airport expansion plans submitted.pdf |
| 15/03/2020 | AGM postponed.pdf |
