METRO WANTS TO GRAB MORE OF THE MOOR
by Bill
For some time we’ve been aware that Metro wants to appropriate part of Woodhouse Moor so trolleybuses can run across it (the section known as Monument Moor). More recently, we’ve learnt that they want to take additional land to create a new access road to City of Leeds School. Now, we’ve discovered that they want even more of the Moor! Amongst the documents submitted as part of Metro’s application for a Transport and Works Act Order, is a plan showing the additional land they want to appropriate. It shows that they want to take all of the pavement and broad grass verge with the avenue of trees on the south side of Woodhouse Lane.
If you think that you’ll be able to object to this at the public inquiry, think again. Metro are planning to sidestep the public inquiry, at least as far as the Moor is concerned (and several other sections along the route).
On the 19th October, the council placed a small advertisement at the back of the Yorkshire Post, announcing its intention under section 122 of the Local Government Act 1972 to appropriate the parts of the Moor required by Metro, on the grounds that these parts are no longer needed as a public park. Anyone who wants to object to this proposal is advised to do so by the 9th November by writing to:
Legal Services
Leeds City Council
Civic Hall
Leeds
LS1 1UR
The matter is to be decided by the council’s Executive Board on the 18th December. For more information, please see Metro’s web page.
That is just unbelievable.
Wonder how many more un-consulted land grabs there will be (we have just had the one at the College of Art, land the College say is essential to them)
The Consultation in general seems to have been a shambles, with the results of earlier Consultations (2008 to 2010 ONLY) published, but not the ones from 2011 to 2013 which show the growing public discontent to where almost no-one wants NGT, including the local Federation of Small Businesses and now MP Greg Mulholland. Listen to the Radio Leeds programmes in this blog to hear the level of disfavour and almost total lack of support from anyone except Metro (take Metro’s claims in these broadcasts with a massive pinch of salt – even Metro knows their claims for the rapidity and usefulness of the trolleys are not borne out in their figures).
We also had firm promises they would retain all the York Stone pavements through the Moor.