A Turning Tide ?

We can’t afford to be complacent, but one or two successes have cheered us up recently. First, in July, the council’s panel on licensing turned down most of the application by Trio for a 7-day entertainments licence for their whole premises (3 floors) from midday to midnight. The only licence that was granted was for the basement bar, and only until 11 p.m. The applicants have not appealed against this decision. We felt that for once we were listened to and our arguments were understood. The second piece of good news is that the planning application for a large pub on the Kirkstall Lane end of the cricket ground has been withdrawn on advice from the planning department. All the letters our members wrote will have helped firm up this advice. Please be ready for the application to appear again in the form of a restaurant. We will oppose it just as firmly, for the usual reason that these so-called ‘restaurants’ always end up almost indistinguishable from pubs.

News on planning decisions in multiple occupancy and new-build flats is more mixed. There are ever more applications for change of use and for blocks of flats to be built on what used to be gardens and other open land. Sometimes these are reduced in size, and occasionally turned down, but whilst planning continues to see them all as individual issues rather than part of a bigger picture, we cannot make enough progress on landlordism.

There are good things happening in our community nevertheless, and every positive event that brings the community together helps to stem the flow of residents away from Headingley.

Celebrate Headingley 2’, mostly held on September 7^th, was another success story. We should thank the team who worked so hard during the summer months to put the events together. There were cream teas and stalls in the Methodist Hall, youth bands and children’s activities in St Michael’s church hall, classical music in St Columba’s and a party including a band in Our Lady of Lourdes. There were also History walks around Headingley (the second of which was sold out!) and the beginning of an oral history project in the library, aimed at capturing some of the stories that long-time residents of Headingley can tell about its past. We were delighted that all age groups and a wide range of interests was catered for. Watch out for more Celebrate Headingley events throughout the year. We are grateful to councillors for supporting our bids for financial support for this year’s event.

As for campaigning, we continue to fight for the survival of our community on all fronts as far as time and effort allow. We have an active traffic group that has been instrumental in the changing of Chapel Lane into a one-way street which finally happened over the summer. It only took four years! They have other plans for the Ash Road and roads between Ash Road and Kirkstall Lane. If you’d like to know more, then come to the November meeting (see over)! If you are a member (or group of members) with particular interests, please let us know and we’ll try to support you.

URGENT ACTION (DEADLINE: 1^st OCTOBER)

We enclose with this newsletter a copy of a letter sent out recently by Headingley councillors about the proposed selling of council land at the bottom of St Anne’s Road. Please note that there is currently no planning application in, though we have fears about what WILL be proposed once the land is sold. The immediate action that is needed is to tell the council that we don’t want our land sold!

  Local facilities we need - need us!

We have been approached by two organisations recently for support from the long-term community:

The first is the Copy Shop on North Lane who are asking for the support of local residents and businesses. They would welcome your business as they are finding the increasingly seasonal nature of Headingley makes survival very difficult.

The second approach came from the Headingley Club (until recently the British Legion). They wondered whether Headingley Network members were interested in joining a club (for £3 a year) where you can get a quiet drink, play a game of snooker and meet other local residents. (Sounds a bit like the promise made every time a new pub opens doesn’t it? But this time it’s true!) We were invited to visit and were shown round the two bars, games room and function room (it was too dark to see the garden). Unlike the commercial pubs in the area, this club is there primarily for the members, and isn’t driven by the profit-making motive. We think this is an important resource for Headingley residents that has not so far been affected by the problems we face, and may yet help to stem the decline in long-term residents. If you wish to join the Headingley Club, just turn up on any second Monday in the Month at 7 p.m. and talk to a committee member. If you think it is strange for Headingley Network to be supporting an alcohol outlet, given its past history of opposition to new pubs, you are probably not a member, but someone reading this newsletter on behalf of Arc Inspirations so that you can accuse us of a vendetta next time we meet in court. We have never been opposed to alcohol itself – just to the loss of our community.