Leeds City Council wants to appropriate :

1. Part of the section of Woodhouse Moor known as Monument Moor
2. Part of the section of the Moor known as Little Moor
3. All of the broad grass verge with its trees on the south side of Woodhouse Lane that border the walk known as ‘The Avenue’.

Here is the Avenue as it appeared in Edwardian times :

The above view of the Avenue is looking towards the library. The broad grass verge and avenue of trees that the council want to appropriate is on the left.

The above view of the Avenue is looking towards Hyde Park Corner. The broad grass verge and trees that the council want to appropriate is shown on the right.

The two photographs below show the Avenue today. All that has changed since Edwardian times is that the fence has been removed that used to separate the broad grass verge from the York stone pavement that borders Woodhouse Lane.

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Below is a photo of part of Little Moor :

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Below is a photo of Monument Moor :

Photo courtesy of Yorkshire Post Newspapers

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Leeds City Council is proposing to appropriate areas of open space on Woodhouse Moor and elsewhere, under section 122 of the Local Government Act 1972 rather than under a Transport and Works Act Order. In the case of the Moor, this would mean that at next year’s public inquiry, we couldn’t complain about the trolleybus affecting the park, because the affected areas would no longer be ‘park’. It would also mean that the council wouldn’t have to compensate us for the loss of the parts of the park that will be affected by the trolleybus scheme.

All that the council has to do under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, is declare that the sections of the park that it requires for the trolleybus scheme, are no longer required as park.

The council advertised its intentions by means of a very small advertisement placed at the rear of the Yorkshire Post on Saturday the 19th and 26th October.

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According to Parks and Countryside, Woodhouse Moor is the most intensively used park in Leeds. And in the Draft Core Strategy recently submitted by Leeds City Council for consideration by a planning inspector, the council proposed that ALL of Woodhouse Moor should be protected green space. If in the light of all this, you think it’s wrong for the council to now try to pre-empt the public inquiry by appropriating parts of Woodhouse Moor on the ground that they are no longer required as open space, please send an objection by Saturday the 9th November to:

Legal Services
Leeds City Council
Civic Hall
Leeds
LS1 1UR

or deliver it by hand to:

Legal Services
Leeds City Council
First Floor
St George House
Great George Street
Leeds

or send an email to:

Sarah.Blenkin@leeds.gov.uk

Please include your name and address on any objections, and the reference:

A76/DO/094793.

The matter is to be decided by the council’s Executive Board on the 18th December.

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To find our more, please see Metro’s web page giving details of the council’s plan.

Here is a map showing the various parts of Woodhouse Moor that the council want to appropriate: