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Leeds United: Cops' HQ at Elland Road hits parking for fans
Plans for a new police headquarters overlooking Leeds United's Elland Road stadium have been given the green light by councillors.
The move comes with a pledge by police to provide residents-only permit parking to stamp out matchday woes – but the building will mean 350 fans' car spaces are lost.
* Click here for a round up of the YEP's online coverage celebrating Leeds United's automatic promotion to the Championship.
West Yorkshire Police wants to build its new divisional HQ for the south of the city on the former greyhound stadium site.The four-storey building would have a 40-cell custody suite and multi-storey car parking for more than 300 cars.
* Click here to read and leave your messages of congratulations celebrating Leeds United's automatic promotion to the Championship.
At a meeting of Leeds City Council's plans panel east, the scheme was broadly welcomed despite concerns about public parking.
* Click here to replay the Leeds United promotion special live webchat.
The greyhound stadium site is used by Leeds United fans as parking for 350 cars.
Estimates suggest around 3,000 car parking spaces in total are currently needed to accommodate Leeds fans.
Spaces are provided by the council on sites in the area but the streets around Beeston, Holbeck and Cottingley are permanently clogged on matchdays.
Now West Yorkshire Police has agreed to pay 250,000 for residents'-only permit parking.
Coun David Congreve (Lab, Beeston & Holbeck) welcomed the cash, which could see traffic regulation orders on around 70 streets.
However he said councillors were "still concerned about the loss of car parking generally".
"Match day parking is horrific because there is not enough parking and local communities suffer," he said.
He said efforts to encourage fans to use public transport were unsuccessful but he hoped people might start car sharing more.
A report to councillors at a planning meeting yesterday – written
before the Whites' promotion last weekend – said the loss of matchday parking was a "significant concern" and that "potential increasess in attendances if LUFC were promoted...needed to be taken into consideration".
The new police HQ, being built with a private finace initiatve deal, will replace the Millgarth and Holbeck stations.
One homeowner in nearby Heath Grove, writing a letter of support, said
the application should be "welcomed with open arms".
Another local said the increased general police presence on match days would be "a good deterrent to antisocial behaviour".
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
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