STOP THE TROLLEYBUS !

It was announced yesterday that there is to be a public inquiry into the the trolleybus proposals. The full story can be read in today’s Yorkshire Evening Post.

It was reported in today’s Yorkshire Evening Post that arboriculturalist Sam Turner has calculated the value of trees to be cut down along the A660 at £14 million. In arriving at the figure, Mr Turner has used the CAVAT methodology which values trees based on the area of a cross section of their trunk. Despite the fact that the system is widely used by local authorities in the UK, including Leeds City Council, it was not used by Metro to value the more than 500 mature trees that would be cut down should the trolleybus scheme go ahead. Metro has merely said that it will replace trees to be cut down with saplings on a three for one basis. Mr Turner has calculated that this will cost Metro no more that £700,000.

An article in today’s Yorkshire Evening Post contains an interview with Mr Turner.

At a meeting of 88 members of the council on the 13th November, councillors debated the trolleybus scheme and voted on whether to confirm their resolution of the 1st July 2013 to apply for a Transport and Works Act Order to enable the trolleybus scheme to proceed. Here is a breakdown of how our councillors voted:

YES

1. Javaid Akhtar (Hyde Park and Woodhouse)
2. Bernard Atha (Kirkstall)
3. Judith Blake (Middleton Park)
4. Karen Bruce (Rothwell)
5. Colin Campbell (Otley and Yeadon)
6. Andrew Carter (Calverley and Farsley)
7. Rebecca Charlwood (Moortown)
8. David Congreve (Beeston and Holbeck)
9. Mick Coulson (Pudsey)
10. Debra Coupar (Crossgates and Whinmoor)
11. Judith Cummins (Temple Newsam)
12. Patrick Davey (City and Hunslet)
13. Neil Dawson (Morley South)
14. Mark Dobson (Garforth and Swillington)
15. Ryk Downes (Otley and Yeadon)
16. Jane Dowson (Chapel Allerton)
17. Jack Dunn (Ardsley and Robin Hood)
18. Angela Gabriel (Beeston and Holbeck)
19. Stewart Golton (Rothwell)
20. Pauleen Grahame (Crossgates and Whinmoor)
21. Ronald Grahame (Burmantofts and Richmond Hill)
22. Kim Groves (Middleton Park)
23. Caroline Gruen (Bramley and Stanningley)
24. Peter Gruen (Crossgates and Whinmoor)
25. Sharon Hamilton (Moortown)
26. John Hardy (Farnley and Wortley)
27. Roger Harington (Gipton and Harehills)
28. Mary Harland (Kippax and Methley)
29. Janet Harper (Armley)
30. Arif Hussain (Gipton and Harehills)
31. Ghulam Hussain (Roundhay)
32. Graham Hyde (Killingbeck and Seacroft)
33. John Illingworth (Kirkstall)
34. Mohammed Iqbal (City and Hunslet)
35. Josephine Jarosz (Pudsey)
36. Asghar Khan (Burmantofts and Richmond Hill)
37. Sandy Lay (Otley and Yeadon)
38. James Lewis (Kippax and Methley)
39. Richard Lewis (Pudsey)
40. Alison Lowe (Armley)
41. Michael Lyons (Temple Newsam)
42. Christine Macniven (Roundhay)
43. Kamila Maqsood (Gipton and Harehills)
44. Andrea McKenna (Garforth and Swillington)
45. James McKenna (Armley)
46. Katherine Mitchell (Temple Newsam)
47. Veronica Morgan (Killingbeck and Seacroft)
48. Lisa Mulherin (Ardsley and Robin Hood)
49. David Nagle (Rothwell)
50. Elizabeth Nash (City and Hunslet)
51. Adam Ogilvie (Beeston and Holbeck)
52. John Procter (Wetherby)
53. Mohammed Rafique (Chapel Allerton)
54. Karen Renshaw (Ardsley and Robin Hood)
55. Brian Selby (Killingbeck and Seacroft)
56. Alex Sobel (Moortown)
57. Neil Taggart (Bramley and Stanningley)
58. Eileen Taylor (Chapel Allerton)
59. Christine Towler (Hyde Park and Woodhouse)
60. Paul Truswell (Middleton Park)
61. Bill Urry (Roundhay)
62. Keith Wakefield (Kipax and Methley)
63. Janette Walker (Headingley)
64. Neil Walshaw (Headingley)
65. Lucinda Yeadon (Kirkstall)

NO

66. Barry Anderson (Adel and Wharfedale)
67. Jonathan Bentley (Weetwood)
68. Sue Bentley (Weetwood)
69. Ann Blackburn (Farnley and Wortley)
70. Neil Buckley (Alwoodley)
71. Les Carter (Adel and Wharfedale)
72. Judith Chapman (Weetwood)
73. Brian Cleasby (Horsforth)
74. Daniel Cohen (Alwoodley)
75. Judith Elliott (Morley South)
76. Robert Finnigan (Morley North)
77. Clive Fox (Adel and Wharfedale)
78. Robert Gettings (Morley North)
79. Alan Lamb (Wetherby)
80. Graham Latty (Guiseley and Rawdon)
81. Thomas Leadley (Morley North)
82. Christopher Townsley (Horsforth)
83. Shirley Varley (Morley South)
84. Paul Wadsworth (Guiseley and Rawdon)
85. Gerald Wilkinson (Wetherby)

ABSTAINED

86. Ann Castle (Harewood)
97. Martin Hamilton (Headingley)
88. Peter Harrand (Alwoodley)

ABSENT

89. David Blackburn (Farnley and Wortley)
90. Dawn Collins (Horsforth)
91. Ted Hanley (Bramley and Stanningley)
92. Gerald Harper (Hyde Park and Woodhouse)
93. Maureen Ingham (Burmantofts and Richmond Hill)
94. Patricia Latty (Guiseley and Rawdon)
95. Joe Marjoram (Calverley and Farsley)
96. Thomas Murray (Garforth and Swillington)
97. Rachael Procter (Harewood)
98. Matthew Robinson (Harewood)
99. Roderic Wood (Calverley and Farsley)

Key

Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrat
Green
Morley Borough Independent
Independent

The Yorkshire Evening Post has today reported that almost a thousand people have definitely objected to the trolleybus scheme, and they have added that the actual figure might be twice this number. You can read the full story here.

Ever since the trolleybus scheme was first announced in 2009, Metro has insisted that it would only affect the north side of Woodhouse Moor. All through the recent consultation process, from late 2012 until this Summer, Metro said nothing about wanting land on the south side. But a document included in their Transport and Works Act Order shows that in addition to land on the north side of the Moor, they also want to take land on the south side. The area they want includes all of the broad grass verge and avenue of trees bordering Woodhouse Lane.

The plan is to have Leeds City Council de-classify the land as a public park, and also as open space. This will mean we won’t be able to complain at the public inquiry that the trolleybus route is across a public park, and Metro won’t have to pay compensation for the parkland it wants to appropriate.

Please object by writing to the following address by the 9th November:

Legal Services
Leeds City Council
Civic Hall
Leeds
LS1 1UR

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.

We learnt at last Thursday’s plans panel, that Metro want to compulsorily purchase land from Leeds College of Art, leaving the college very little outdoor space. In addition, the pavements outside the college would be narrowed, and access to the college’s car park would be restricted.

Unlike Leeds University, which appears to have been consulted about the trolleybus scheme since day one, the College of Art only found out about the scheme very recently, from a former student who is involved in the campaign to stop the trolleybus.

The story was covered in an article by Paul Robinson in today’s edition of the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Protestors demonstrated outside Leeds Civic hall yesterday ahead of a meeting of the city centre plans panel. The panel of councillors was given information about the trolleybus scheme and heard representations from twelve people who were there to object to the scheme. No one spoke in favour of the scheme.

The event was covered in an article by Paul Robinson in today’s Yorkshire Evening Post.

The trolleybus issue was discussed twice on Radio Leeds today, first on the Larry Budd show from 6am to 7am, and second on the Nick Ahad show from 12noon to 1pm. The Larry Budd show included an interview with Metro leader Councillor James Lewis, and the Nick Ahad show included a further interview with Councillor Lewis, and also an interview with Chris Glen, the regional director of the Federation of Small Businesses.

The issue was last discussed by Nick Ahad on the 23rd September, on the occasion of the previous trolleybus protest along the A660.

You can listen to the broadcasts by clicking on these links :

1. Larry Budd 17.10.13
2. Nick Ahad 17.10.13
3. Nick Ahad 23.9.13

Protestors gathered outside Leeds Civic Hall this morning to demonstrate their opposition to the proposed trolleybus scheme. The demonstration was covered by Calendar News, Radio Leeds, Radio Aire, and the Yorkshire Evening Post.

The event coincided with an all day meeting of the city centre plans panel at which twelve objectors spoke against the scheme and no one spoke in favour.