Dear Resident(s),
Happy New Year to you all.
We would like to thank the outgoing officer and committee for their time and efforts supporting the resident association and for holding some amazing events across their time in office. We look forward to working with the new officers and committee over the coming year and to bringing back regular and focused updates to the near 650 households in the area.
It has been a while since the last meeting, and there has been far too much happen locally since then to cover them all in this update, so the below is what we think will be relevant to most.
Hillidge Road/The Oval: Hillidge Road has now been resurfaced, and the section of The Oval between Church Street and the first entrance to the Morrisons car park is due to be resurfaced in February this year.
Welcome to Hunslet Sign on Church Street: This project is still dragging on, but we now have everything costed up and are now waiting for Highways Leeds to provide their permission, as the use of the adopted highway for an area sign must be licensed. This is currently being chased.
Antisocial Behaviour around Hunslet Community Hub and Library: There have been increased issues of this in the last quarter of 2024. The Leeds Antisocial Behaviour Team, West Yorkshire Police, and Safer Stronger Communities are aware, and the young persons are well known and are being engaged with by the Youth Service and/or the Youth Justice Service.
These are complicated issues as we don’t want to push these young people into the criminal justice system if it can be avoided.
Stone House Trough Heritage Interpretation Board: This has now been installed as promised next to the trough on Balmoral Chase.
Hunslet Square Phase 1: Since the last residents meeting, most of Phase 1 has now been completed, including the new planters, trees, seating, play markings, and dynamic lighting of the Hunslet Community Hub and Library.
Staff at the Hunslet Community Hub and Library are due to be trained on how to use the lighting, meaning they can start following the civic lighting program used on the Civic Hall and council buildings.
The mural due on the wall of the Morrisons depot has had its initial draft finished, and the commissioned artist is due to consult on this with the public immediately.
In addition, we have commissioned four heritage interpretation boards about the area's local history, which are being co-designed with Hunslet Remembered, and two nature interpretation boards to explain the planning and natural maintenance arrangement of the new planters.
Once these are installed, a full power wash of the paved area will be carried out.
Church Street Missing Lines: These have now all been reinstated following the recent repair works to the bus stop layby.
Midland Road Speeding: We’re still chasing Highways Leeds to install the missing 20 mph signs they have promised. These will allow the police to enforce the road speed.
Church Street and Pepper Park Noticeboards: We have finally been able to secure a supplier of new doors for these, and they have been ordered, meaning these will soon be able to be used again to advertise community information.
Estate Management and Environmental Issues: We know the environment of the estate has deteriorated and that work is needed to reverse this.
Housing Leeds is required to prioritise property repairs and maintenance of Housing Leeds properties, and as the housing stock in the area has become older, this naturally means more resources are needed to direct to this work due to wear and tear.
Working with Housing Leeds, Cleaner Neighbourhoods, and Strong Safer Communities, we’re now creating a list of areas of repeat concern, from overgrown bushes, litter traps, or hot spots for fly-tipping.
This will allow us to work across the Council to better manage these problem areas, ensure proper prioritisation of resources, such as the Winter Works Programme, and apply a multiagency approach to tackle some of these issues once and for all, rather than constant firefighting—an approach that has provided results in other areas, such as youth provision and tackling anti-social behaviour.
This work will take some time to deliver results, but it will allow for much better oversight, challenge, and create the needed evidence we need to get more resources in the area.
Hunslet St Mary’s Memorial Stones and Cross: We’ll continue to put pressure on the local parish and diocese to agree to the moving of these to the former graveyard next door and are still committed to funding this work.
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