SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... 79.jpPlans to plant a row of London plane trees as part of a £200,000 Leeds city centre face-lift project are too bog standard for one councillor's liking.Under a revamp of Victoria Gardens outside the city art gallery, 26 London planes – their foliage cut into a large box shape – will be put into stone planters along public square's Headrow and Calverley Street boundaries.But Coun Andrew Carter (Con, Calverley and Farsley) fears the distinctive-looking trees will end up looking like "gigantic loo brushes."He said: "Generally the scheme looks excellent but in summer these trees will look like gigantic loo brushes."They look distinctly odd and I think there will be a lot of odd comments about them."This is an architect's dream of a tree because it's geometric and does what he wants it to do."Environmental charity Groundwork Leeds has drawn up the alteration scheme which is being funded by Marks and Spencer, the retail giant founded in Leeds Kirkgate Market.It was designed following public consultation carried out in and around Victoria Gardens.The revamp – which the council's city centre plans panel voted 5-3 to accept – also includes repairs to the Yorkstone paving, repairs to the art gallery steps, new bins and seating, two new marble and granite giant chess boards, uplighters to illuminate the trees and the planting of 2,768 crocus and snowdrop bulbs.While panel members supported the project, the trees proved contentious.Coun David Blackburn (Green, Farnley and Wortley) said: "It's entirely wrong – trees should be trees and not some artistic impression of trees."I don't want square trees, I want trees to look like trees."Coun Elizabeth Nash (Lab, City and Hunslet) also objected to the trees and suggested there should be three giant chess boards, but the panel heard the city had only two giant chess sets.Coun Martin Hamilton (Lib Dem, Headingley) said: "Couldn't we just plant fewer bulbs and use the money saved to buy an extra set of chess pieces?"Coun Graham Latty (Con, Guiseley and Rawdon) said he was happy with the plane trees as they were in a geometric setting and Coun Neil Taggart (Lab, Bramley) also thought they were acceptable.Adrian Curtis, Groundwork Leeds's executive director, told the Yorkshire Evening Post he was pleased the scheme had been approved and added: "It's a triumph for doing something different."Any thoughts on this? I'm expecting those trees will need a fair bit of pruning to maintain their box like shape?I love the fact we can't have a third giant chess board outside the art gallery because we only have two sets of chess pieces - that really is council thinking isn't it?

' also includes repairs to the Yorkstone paving'Well repairs probably wouldn't be necessary if the chronic desire to site the intrusive and very heavy components and wagons of a fun fair on there had been quelled - expensively relaid sometime ago and now in a very poor state - doubtless cost more to repair than any facility fee received from the causitive events!

chameleon wrote: ' also includes repairs to the Yorkstone paving'Well repairs probably wouldn't be necessary if the chronic desire to site the intrusive and very heavy components and wagons of a fun fair on there had been quelled - expensively relaid sometime ago and now in a very poor state - doubtless cost more to repair than any facility fee received from the causitive events! I could never understand why flags like york stone are not laid on a base of concrete to prevent heavy loads breaking them. Once you site flags on sand and cavities form due to rain it means the flags are no longer supported across their full area resulting in breaks due to heavy loads.

is there a big chain nearby that one can pull for everything to go down the [edited for content]

raveydavey wrote: I love the fact we can't have a third giant chess board outside the art gallery because we only have two sets of chess pieces - that really is council thinking isn't it? The cost of a chess set the size of the 2 existing sets would be about £269 inc VAT.If the city is so strapped for cash I'll organise a whip round at work !