www.southleedslife.com
South Leeds Life | February 2022
Twitter: @SouthLeedsLife
2 News
About us South Leeds Life is written by and for local people. People who live, work and play in the LS10 and LS11 areas of South Leeds. The website and newspaper are produced by South Leeds Life CIC, a social enterprise registered with Companies House, No 9998695. South Leeds Life is a member of the Independent Community News Network.
Our aims To inform people of events, activities, issues and opportunities taking place in the South Leeds community; To encourage the involvement of the wider community in communicating their experiences; To foster community spirit and involvement; and To provide a platform for local people to contribute and respond to community life more fully. South Leeds Life is pleased to publish views from across the political spectrum, provided they comply with our editorial guidelines. We remain a neutral publication with a diverse readership, as such we do not endorse any particular political party.
Contact us South Leeds Life CIC 224 Cross Flatts Grove, Leeds, LS11 7BW Email: info@southleedslife.com Facebook & Twitter: @SouthLeedsLife Phone: 07894 583966
Complaints South Leeds Life is regulated by IMPRESS and adheres to its standards code. However, if you feel we have breached the code in any way and wish to make a complaint, please submit your complaint, in writing to the editor. A copy of our complaints policy is available via our website at southleedslife.com/complaintsprocedure, or on request.
Facebook: facebook.com/southleedslife
New footbridge will commemorate poignant legacy of David Oluwale W
ork has begun to create a footbridge across the River Aire which will commemorate the lasting legacy of a man who drowned after being racially harassed. David Oluwale, who had travelled to the UK from Nigeria, was tragically targeted because of his mental health, homelessness and race. He died in the river in 1969 in an incident of racial injustice which left a lasting social and cultural legacy as well as inspiring a string of moving books and plays. Working alongside the David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA) and local partners, Leeds City Council will name the new bridge crossing the river from Sovereign Street to Water Lane in his memory, both to commemorate his death and demonstrate a lasting commitment to equality and inclusion in Leeds. Initial building work on the bridge has started, with the finished project forming one of the newest key elements of the ambitious South Bank regeneration programme. The footbridge is located between Victoria Bridge and Leeds Bridge, near Asda House and links in to the new Aire Park on the site of the former Tetley brewery in Hunslet.
Impression of how the new bridge will look at night It will also help fulfil one of the project’s integral and long-standing priorities to ensure better pedestrian and cycling connection between the city centre, the train station, Aire Park and other green spaces around the city centre. Councillor Jonathan Pryor, Leeds City Council’s deputy leader and executive member for economy, culture and education, said: “David Oluwale’s story must never be forgotten and naming this bridge for him will stand as a lasting and poignant memorial to his profoundly tragic death and the legacy which he left behind. “It will also act as a symbol of the
diverse place that Leeds is today and our shared hope that it will always be a better, brighter and more inclusive city which is better connected in every way.” Dr Emily Zobel Marshall, co-chair of the David Oluwale Memorial Association (DOMA) said: “This is another positive decision by Leeds City Council, who have been incredibly supportive of DOMA’s work over the past thirteen years. “David travelled to the UK in 1949 from Lagos, Nigeria, hoping for a brighter future and spent twenty years in Leeds. He was hounded to his death in the River Aire in 1969
by two Leeds police officers. “At DOMA we keep David’s story alive in our educational and campaigning work against racism, mental ill-health and homelessness today. “Naming this bridge for David Oluwale gives residents and visitors alike a clear message that Leeds is dedicated to confronting the traumas of the past and becoming a place of welcome and sanctuary for all people.” The council is also very grateful to local businesses Asda and Leeds Building Society for their help and support to secure the landing rights for the bridge.
New plans for Kays site in Holbeck by Jeremy Morton
P
lans for a mixed use development including 1,200 residential units as well as offices and commercial properties have been discussed with Councillors on the City Plans Panel. The site, bordered by Nineveh Road, Marshall Street and Sweet Street and adjacent to the Holbeck rail depot, has lain derelict for many years. The site formerly housed the Kays Catalogue warehouse which was built in 1981 and deolished following closure in 2004. The site includes the historic Commerial Inn on the corner of Sweet Street and Marshall Street. The rail union ASLEF was founded here and the pub was run by Leeds United legend Peter Lorimer for many years. The plans are to refurbish the Commercial and retain it as a pub. The plans include 760 market rented apartments and 475 apartments for sale. Two blocks, fronting Marshall Street and Nineveh Road, are designated as offices and there will be ground floor commercial, retail and leisure uses throughout the site. The apartment blocks will range
in height from 10 to 27 storeys, whilst the office blocks range from 4-7 storeys. Attention has been paid to the open spaces between the blocks to encourage easy pedestrian access through the development. The open area around the Commercial, termed Sweet Street Square, is designed to encourage leisure use by the wider community. Councillors broadly welcomed the proposals but had concerns about the building heights close to both the Commercial and to the former Holbeck library, which is not part of the development. There were also concerns about amenities for the residents with Cllr Colin Campbell (Otley & Yeadon) asking “where is that corner shop?” Cllr Al Garthwaite (Headingley & Hyde Park) suggested that using names such as Greenmount Place and St John’s Green might be confused with streets in Beeston and Little Woodhouse. She suggested tapping into the local history and heritage of Holbeck pointing to local Suffragette leader Mary Gawthorpe and Kays which had been a major employer in the area. She said using that heritage would help the site tie the older
residential area of Holbeck to the so-called Holbeck Urban Village, rather than remaining a barrier. The developers responded that both Greenmount and St John’s referred to the streets on the site before Kays warehouse was built. They have already been speaking to Holbeck Together and will be holding further community consultations in the coming months.
The plans are at a pre-application stage and will be worked up into a full planning application when it will be open to consultation and comment in the normal way. The developers Westrock and Platform stressed that they are “in it for the long term” and will manage the rented premises themselves, rather than selling on to other landlords.
A view of the proposed development looking south west with the Commercial Inn in the foreground and the old Holbeck library to the left
