Little London, Leeds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Little London |
|
|---|---|
 Little London Community Centre |
|
 Little London
|
|
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LEEDS |
| Postcode district | LS7 |
| Dialling code | 0113 |
| Police | West Yorkshire |
| Fire | West Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| UK Parliament |
|
Little London is a residential area of Leeds in England, north of the city centre and Leeds Inner Ring Road. It is so called because in the 19th century it had fashionable housing and interesting architecture comparable with London. In the 1950s and '60s it became largely council housing and now consists of a mixture of high-rise and low rise flats and houses. The area falls within the Little London and Woodhouse ward of the City of Leeds Council. The area is divided into four estates; Lovell Park, Oatlands, Carlton and the Servias.
Community
Amenities
The area backs onto the Sheepscar Interchange, a major road interchange between the A61 towards Harrogate and the A58 towards Wetherby) and the Leeds Inner Ring Road. The Merrion Centre is also nearby. It has a small shopping precinct with an Off Licence and various other shops, and a new children's centre, the Little London Children's Centre, designed by Leeds architects Bauman Lyons. The area's most notable public house, The Londoner (formerly The Little Londoner) closed in 2005 and was demolished in 2006; there is now a building exceeding 20 stories on the site of the former pub. This now leaves just two pubs, The Hobby Horse (Now closed) and The Leeds Rifleman. The Post Office closed in August 2008, despite a public campaign to save it.
Housing
Council housing in the lower parts of Little London originally homed many of the people from nearby Woodhouse, where there was large scale demolition and slum clearance. Originally, Woodhouse residents were to be dispersed around Leeds but, after a protracted battle with the council, they won the right to move a short distance to the new Holborn Estate.
In 2006 there were plans to demolish or sell 450 largely 1960s and 1980s council built housing units in Little London, under an £85m redevelopment and refurbishment scheme. This would have left only the high rise flats which would be privatised and sold. There were fears that more than 600 homes could be lost and the cohesion of the community affected.
The three Lovell tower blocks were saved from demolition to undergo refurbishment, with a plan to build 125 new local authority homes, this, with local environment and amenity improvements, to be carried out under a 2008 Private Finance Initiative. The local tenants and residents association expressed concern that the demolition or sale of the housing stock would could lead to the loss of 300 council homes, and hundreds of residents having to leave the area permanently. A campaign and debate with Leeds City Council is ongoing.
Depopulation
Over the past few years Leeds City Council has begun to move residents out of homes. Two blocks of Carlton Towers are now uninhabited, as are several smaller blocks of flats; Lovell Park hasn't, as yet, been affected, The number of students there is not as large as found in Headingley, Woodhouse, or Hyde Park.
Lower population has not affected many businesses, with only the bookmakers having closed recently.
Transport
The area is situated close to the Sheepscar Interchange where the A58 and A61 converge and also the Leeds Inner Ring Road. There is no railway station in the vicinity. Buses serving the area are operated by First Leeds. Leeds City Centre is within walking distance.
Notable people
- Will Scott (1893−1964), author born at 128 Camp Road (now demolished and renamed Oatland Lane)
Images for kids
-
Primary School
-
Part of the Carlton estate
-
Subway from the Carlton estate to Oatland Towers
-
More modern buildings on Carlton Gate
-
Carlton Barracks 2007
-
The Leeds Rifleman
-
Carlton Towers flats 1-49, prepared for demolition
-
Carlton Towers flats 50-99 having been demolished
_prepared_for_demolition_002.jpg)
