David Spereall

Developers Torsion want to demolish a row of former shops on Burley Street in Leeds, to make way for 183 studio flats. Liberal Democrat councillor Colin Campbell claimed the size of the flats was inadequate, when the proposals were discussed by a planning committee earlier this month. But council planning officers have branded the development “high-quality” and recommended it be approved when the scheme is considered again next Thursday. If approved, the flats would be built across a block slopi…

Dubbed England’s most patriotic town for its love of a good St George’s Day Parade, economic times here have been a little harder of late, as with many places of similar size. But could a £24.3m investment for the town help to revive its fortunes? A series of projects, delivered with the help of cash from the government’s Towns Fund, will help breathe new life into Morley, it is hoped. Parks are being spruced up, as is the traditionally dark and dingy walking route to the train station, which wi…

Club Atomic, on Lower Briggate in the city centre, opened in March in a unit formerly occupied by The Hedonist. The bar had applied to Leeds City Council for a licence until 3am, with owners Ryan Mellor Davis and Richard Jones telling a public hearing last month that they needed it “just to be close to breaking even”. Both men said they’d bought the premises thinking it already had a 3am licence, but were shocked to find they actually had to stop selling alcohol and playing music at midnight. Ho…

Developers City Life Holdings will construct the block, which will include 345 apartments, on Springwell Road in Holbeck. An old two-storey commercial building, close to the road’s junction with Whitehall Road, will be demolished to make way. The scheme had been altered after criticism from city councillors at a planning meeting in July, which included concerns around the building’s height and a lack of car parking built into the development. The proposed height was reduced by six storeys as a r…

Data from Visit Britain, which was quoted in a West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) report, showed the Gallery drew 308,000 people over the course of 2022. Five other Leeds attractions featured in the region’s top 10, with Harewood House, Leeds City Museum and Lotherton Hall all welcoming more than 200,000 visitors each during last year. Kirkstall Abbey placed seventh on the list, with just over 132,000 people frequenting the medieval ruin and surrounding green space. Visitor numbers rose by…

Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) say the site has broken its night flights quota for a second year running. The airport has repeated its denials of the claim, insisting it is under the limit for the British Summer Time (BST) period under its “interpretation” of the rules. GALBA had first suggested the quota, which is supposed to limit night-time activity at the airport for the benefit of local residents, was broken last month. They’ve now specifically said that 473 planes more…

Stations in Guiseley, Horsforth, Cross Gates, Garforth and New Pudsey were among hundreds across the country at risk of losing their manned offices, under proposals. The government and train operators had argued the move would “modernise” the railways and affect only the 12 per cent of passengers who still buy physical tickets. But on Tuesday, the Department of Transport pulled the plug on the move, saying operators had failed to meet “high” standards for passengers with the proposals. Labour co…

Developers Torsion will build 183 apartments on Burley Street, close to the city centre, after demolishing a row of former shops between numbers 16 and 22 to make way. The flats will be built across a new block that will slope from six storeys on one side, to eight on the other. The proposals were backed by all councillors on Leeds’ city plans panel after a brief discussion on Thursday. Several members said the building’s design was significantly improved from what had previously been on the tab…

Leeds City Council revealed last month it was planning to get the old Crossgates Library, on Farm Road, off its books to raise much-needed cash. The council claimed there was local support to turn the venue into a boxing club and that the suburb’s new library, in Crossgates Shopping Centre, has been popular. The library’s move to the shopping centre, which took place in spring 2022, was initially supposed to be temporary, but plans to modernise the old building into a new library and community…

Rothwell’s former urban district offices will go under the hammer on December 5. The area’s ward councillors, all three of whom are Liberal Democrats, had campaigned for the offices to be transferred to a local community group after it was vacated in 2016. But the Labour-run city council said last month it had to sell the building, on Marsh Street, because of its dire financial predicament. The property is described on Pugh Auctions’ website as a “substantial and imposing detached building, form…