Please see below a copy of Cllr Mohammed Iqbal's and my report to the July 2022 Hunslet Tenants and Residents Association meeting: Church Street Playground: The shared swing has finally been replaced and so far, seems to be holding up to usage.
Welcome to Hunslet Sign: Working is progressing to a final design for the bespoke benches with the council’s contactor. A small amendment has been made to have the central element, meaning a whole wagon wheel set will be used rather than just one wheel – this will differentiate it from the Hunslet Carr Welcome Sign. Once we have the final quotes for the benches and the weight of the wheels set and casted working which will go on it is known, a settings stone will be ordered, and a date will be set to install it all. It has been suggested to get around the complexity of the wording on the sign due to the current and historic starting location of Hunslet, that we should simply have the word Hunslet on the sign rather than Welcome to Hunslet. We would be keen to hear residents’ feedback on this.
Fly Tipping: This remains an ongoing issue and over the coming months we’ll be using are regular communications to remind people bulky waste collections are free for up to five items, four times a year. More information can be found at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/bins-and-recycling/get-rid-of-unwanted-items.
Church Street Cycle Lane: Roadworks are due to start now and will add a by-directional cycle lane to one side of Church Street, up Balm Road and on to Belle Isle Road. The work between Low Road and Belinda Street Junction (Phase 1) will take about six weeks due to contactors agreeing reduced working hours to ensure minimum disruption to nearby residential properties in the early evening onwards.
Hunslet St Mary’s Spire: There has been little progress with the diocese. We will keep residents updated.
Church Street Planter: This planter outside the businesses has long been an issue and we’d hoped to have it rebuild, thus keeping the tree in place as part of the forthcoming Hunslet Urban Garden works.
Sadly, an assessment has now been made that the depth of soil below the planter is to poor and Highway Leeds, the planters’ owners, have asked they are removed as they will not maintain them. In the short term, we'll have all the weeds removed and as soon as the Hunslet Urban Garden scheme starts in front of Hunslet Community Hub and Library, the planter will be removed and area repaved.
There needs to be a separate assessment as to whether the tree can be transplanted to a new location nearby, but this will depend on where the root structure of the tree is and if it will be damaged significantly when it is removed. If the tree cannot be saved, arrangements will be made to have replacement trees planted nearby to compensate.
We are happy to discuss replacing the old planter with a modern free-standing planter(s) for floral displays, but we would need the support of local businesses to help water and maintain them - although we will provide the plants etc.
Hunslet Urban Garden: It is with great frustration that the main designer as NPS (the councils contactor) left before a tender was commissioned for the work to begin - despite funding being agreed. We are currently chasing NPS to allocate a new lead designer so we can get on with the project this year.
Hunslet Edible Estate Phase 2: We’re happy to have approved funding for the next set of planters on the Rochefords to be planted to compliment the work done on phase 1 of the project last year.
Church Street Christmas Lights Phase 2: As promised, we have approved funding to extend the size of the displace for next Christmas from five (including a Tommy for Reembrace Day) to ten. We’ll work with the TARA to support a turn on event again this year. We have, subject to funding, also committed to a third phase of extension for Christmas 2023, bring the size of the displace to the same as that seen in Hunslet Carr.
Grove Road Recreation Unauthorised Encampment: Despite the gate lock being cut, this is the first encampment since security improvements to the playing field where installed. These have stopped several possible encampments forming and this means the improvements have already paid for themselves by reducing court and clear-up costs for the council.