SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I noticed this week that demolition companies have moved onto the site of the West Park Centre to flatten this once popular community hub. Apparently attempts were made in August to reverse the councils decision but its been a victim of the goverment cuts and alleged electrical safety and costly repairs were seen as too expensive to keep the centre going. Typically most of the groups which used the centre have been left without alternative premises. I'd try and get some photos taken but the security are permanentely patrolling for metal thieves.

It's an utter scandal what's happened to this place. In the year since it was closed (booting all the users out with no notice) the council, who've wanted to sell the site for housing for years, have basically lied and lied and lied again about the extent of the repairs needed and the cost of keeping it open. In six months it somehow went up from £170,000 to £4.5 million. Fishy...

mark1978 wrote: It's an utter scandal what's happened to this place. In the year since it was closed (booting all the users out with no notice) the council, who've wanted to sell the site for housing for years, have basically lied and lied and lied again about the extent of the repairs needed and the cost of keeping it open. In six months it somehow went up from £170,000 to £4.5 million. Fishy... Booting users out rings a bell they did that in the Corn Exchange no change there then.

Corn exchange was a private company but no less of a shameful shambles.

and of course people were booted out of the Dark Arches to make way for the car park it is now.

Good to hear.Spending untold millions on a 1950s duff-build austerity school would be madness.The site was a risk to people's lives, in such bad condition, and if something had happened there'd be carping and blame.Up to £800,000 will be made available, financed by the sale of the West Park site, to provide a new community facility or refurbish an existing facility in the area. So overall top marks to LCC.

The problem with that is that it wouldn't have been "untold millions" - LCC quite deliberately inflated the figures for the necessary repairs so they could retrospectively justify shutting it down. It would have been six figures to make the building safe, if that. Even less if Education Leeds had maintained the place properly in the preceding 10 years.That's 800k available IF they manage to sell the site. Out of which they'll have to pay the cost of demolition (substantial, especially considering the amount of asbestos removal that's going to be required). Any resultant newbuild is going to be far smaller than the existing centre, which will knock out most of its previous uses at a stroke. If it's so easily replaced, why do you think the likes of Leeds Youth Opera, Leeds Symphony Orchestra, YAMSEN (a charity for children with special needs) are still effectively homeless a year on?West Park was a unique resource which, if it had been properly maintained, would still be an asset to the city today. Instead they've stupidly run it down to cynically sell the land off to the highest bidder (land, incidentally, which is supposed to have a restrictive covenant on it preventing its use for anything but education), and are planning to replace it with a village hall.One of the campaigners for the building has kept a blog of the various wranglings over the building's future since its closure. It's interesting reading. See http://victoriajaquiss.blogspot.com

Jogon wrote: Good to hear.Spending untold millions on a 1950s duff-build austerity school would be madness.The site was a risk to people's lives, in such bad condition, and if something had happened there'd be carping and blame.Up to £800,000 will be made available, financed by the sale of the West Park site, to provide a new community facility or refurbish an existing facility in the area. So overall top marks to LCC. £800,000 in this day and age wouldnt even buy a portakabin for public use after all the money has been embezzled by various consultancies to do health and safety assessments etc Plus once this facility has gone it will be quite easy to say this money has been frittered away on costs or that it had to be funnelled into more needy causes like MP's wages. I mean where did all the money go from Thatcher selling off all the council housing? I dont see any new social housing having sprung up anywhere since the 1980s onwards?

jonleeds wrote: Jogon wrote: Good to hear.Spending untold millions on a 1950s duff-build austerity school would be madness.The site was a risk to people's lives, in such bad condition, and if something had happened there'd be carping and blame.Up to £800,000 will be made available, financed by the sale of the West Park site, to provide a new community facility or refurbish an existing facility in the area. So overall top marks to LCC. £800,000 in this day and age wouldnt even buy a portakabin for public use after all the money has been embezzled by various consultancies to do health and safety assessments etc Plus once this facility has gone it will be quite easy to say this money has been frittered away on costs or that it had to be funnelled into more needy causes like MP's wages. I mean where did all the money go from Thatcher selling off all the council housing? I dont see any new social housing having sprung up anywhere since the 1980s onwards? Apart from the large swathes of Meanwood that were redeveloped and new housing built...

Large swathes of Meanwood? Most of that housing was built by housing associations - Leeds Federated Housing Association being the main one followed by Anchor Trust, Unity etc. I dont think the decision to demolish the West Park Centre is justifiable as there was no alternative plan put into place to create an alternative venue. Also its been disguised as being too run down to keep running, when really its all been part of the councils plans to generate cash by selling off council owned properties and land. Ridiculous moves like this are being made all over the country like the closure of the Don Valley Stadium and moving Sheffield athletics to some unsuitable 3rd rate venue all in the name of 'cost cutting'. Thing is if they are cutting all these costs then surely they ought to start cutting the taxes we all pay on everything from fuel to council tax, VAT etc?