ℹ️ HUNSLET MOOR DEPOT UPDATE

Following the approval of the grant to remove the fence at Hunslet Moor Depot at the Inner South West Community Committee, Officers will now be arranging the work - work that the local parks manager, the police, the antisocial behaviour team, and the majority of residents in the local area support.

It is, however, disappointing to see misinformation being published by others about exactly what that work is going to done despite several communications already being issued stating the plans.

A recent leaflet has been sent out on which it states the Council will be "ripping out the old trees".

This is not true.

The plan is to keep all of the mature trees on site and only remove a small number of self-seeder bushes in between the mature trees to open up sight lines to improve security.

But Officers will try and save as many of these self-seeders branch stems as possible as they are ideal for use in den building and other activities around creative outdoor play for children.

The fence is also to be recycled and donated to Middleton Railway to go on to Little Moor Park, opposite the museum, saving the Council having to buy as much new fencing, which would cost up to £10,000 for a similar length.

The leaflet also claims that we stopped the use of the site for a wellbeing garden.

This is misleading.

The group in question visited the site as they were interested and after that visit they had concerns about the site themselves.

I'm currently trying to identify other locations within the council's estate that they can use.

The future use of the land is still up for discussion, with a number of potential proposals, but with it being part of the wider moor, not as a separate enclosed space which has cause security issues.

The site is very constrained, significantly covered by hard standing, and with the added complication of being right next to a National Highways motorway embankment, which means there is the potential for National Highways needing access in future, further constrainomg the usability of the land.

I hope this clarifies what the Council is actually going to do on the site.