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Former Headingley school site - campaigners get high profile backing
Campaigners fighting plans to build houses on a former Headingley school site have received some high profile backing.
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Both Sport England and English Heritage have sent letters to Leeds City Council's planning department objecting to the development proposals for the Leeds Girls' High School site in Headingley.
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The school, which has been closed since its merger with Leeds Grammar School on a new site at Alwoodley, is a key piece of mainly green land and includes playing fields, tennis courts and a swimming pool.
Developers want to build housing on the land and have submitted plans to the council.
However, local residents and councillors want to retain it for community use - including playing areas for children. Three primary schools serving surrounding communities do not meet Government minimum levels of play areas. There is also no local access to a swimming pool, although the former school has one.
More than 1,000 people have already signed a petition calling for community use of some of the site and 700 letters of objection have been received from members of the community.
In September a group of campaigners met the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears at the site to put their case.
Sport England objects because the development would mean the loss of existing playing fields and sports facilities as well as generating additional demand from more housing.
It also criticises the proposals for their failure to either provide sports facilities within the development or make a financial contribution to off-site provision.
English Heritage has voiced its protest against plans to make alterations to listed buildings.
Local councillor Martin Hamilton (Lib Dem, Headingley) said: "It is good to see that official bodies feel as we do. There is already too much residential development in the area with not enough green space to sustain it.
"We will continue to fight to keep the playing fields for the local community," he pledged.
A Leeds City Council spokesman said that the planning application was still under consideration and no date had yet been set for a decision.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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