I really appricate the use of the moor at the weekend for these parties is causing some tension – which I’m sorry to see.
Use of the Hunslet Moor by the group who are holding these parties is legal though some of the activities being carried out by attendees can be classed as anti-social . Therefore in some format, these parties can continue events to be stopped fully – I must be honest it is extremely unlikely they will unless the use but the group(s) usage of Hunslet Moor for these parties must do so in a fair, reasonable, and equitable manner to other users and local residents.
There are several issues that do need to be managed to ensure this and these include waste management, toilet(s), noise, and the impact on other Hunslet Moor users.
The police have allocated a PC to have oversight on the moor and it has been arranged for there noise nuisance van to make passing visit as and when it can during weekend.
I’m awaiting feedback from Parks and Countryside regarding event and user management of Hunslet Moor – as these parties grow in size, they will impact other users of it and this needs to be managed. This includes toilet arrangements.
I’m awaiting feedback on the impact of litter, animal bones and other waste issues as these are now having a capacity issue on our waste bins.
I’m awaiting the latest noise management update from Leeds Anti-social Behaviour.
There is an impact on local parking, including parking on double yellows and some obstructive parking – this also need to be managed out of fairness and I will be speaking with parking services to see how we address this but I haven’t had this chat yet.
If these parties can't be managed and the risk and burden on services becomes an issue – partners in West Yorkshire Police and the Leeds Anti-social Behaviour Team will be asked to look at stronger measures. But finding a balance and equitable usage of the space is the starting point.
Over this weekend, West Yorkshire Police did attended one of the events with the support of the council noise nuisance team. When they arrived, there was approx. 100-150 people present at the party. They engaged with the group and identified the ‘organiser’.
It is believed some of the activates on this occasion required an entertainment licence, which they did not have and so they were asked to turn the music off and end the party by West Yorkshire Police - which they complied with. The event organiser denied being involved in the past events.
There will be a multi-agency meeting next week to discuss how these parties will be managed to allow them to continue without unreasonable impact on local residents and other Hunslet Moor users - and what will happen if they can not be managed.
I will update residents after the meeting.
Information on how to make a noise complaint can be found at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/antisocial-behaviour-and-crime/making-a-noise-complaint.