HYDE PARK, LEEDS

'Hyde Park' is an inner-city area of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, situated between the University of Leeds and Headingley.
It is mainly in the Hyde Park & Woodhouse ward, though some areas of what is often considered to be Hyde Park lie within the Headingley Ward. It is also the local name for Woodhouse moor which is a wooded moor between Woodhouse Lane and Hyde Park Road. The area is in the centre of the city's student community and has a laid-back, bohemian atmosphere. Being next to Headingley, a large student community, Hyde Park is now an established alternative student district. Alongside the students it also has a sizable South Asian community.
The area contains two mosques and alongside outlets primarily catering for the student population there remain a number of smaller shops selling largely traditional South Asian goods. This arguably lessens the impact of studentification, though some community groups do consider this to be a problem and tension exists ^[1].
Swallows and Amazons author Arthur Ransome was born in the area. A blue plaque on No 6 Ash Grove commemorates this.
Black Flag singer, Henry Rollins also once resisted in Hyde Park, on the Harolds.

Contents

Community

Amenities

Housing

Chestnut Avenue

Police Brutality Claims

References

Community

In July 2005, Hyde Park became the focus of international attention as police carried out a raid connected to the 7 July 2005 London bombings. Officers used a controlled explosion to enter a property at 28 Alexandra Grove, situated roughly where the Hyde Park and Burley areas meet^[2]. Hundreds of local residents were evacuated as police searched the house, one of six in West Yorkshire to be raided that day. Despite media speculation the house had allegedly been used as a 'bomb factory' by the suicide bombers, police later said they found no explosives in the property.
The area suffers considerable social deprivation including high unemployment, bad housing stock and a high crime rate^[3]. In July 1995 the area suffered serious rioting after the taking over of a local pub, The Newlands, by the police to be used in surveillance ^[4]. The local community rallied and created Unity Day^[5] a popular community festival started by the Hyde Park Residents Association held on the moor, usually in August.

Amenities

Hyde Park is the home of the Hyde Park Picture House, one of the finest examples of an independent, historic, art house cinema in the UK. The Royal Park, on Queen's Road, is a large pub with a downstairs gig venue, popular with the student population, and next door stands the Brudenell Social Club, a members club which has recently taken on a new role as one of the most popular venues for local and underground music. It is also home to the Hyde Park Social Club, a members-only pub popular with both locals and students, selling cheap ale and notable for consisting of a large room full entirely of second-hand sofas. It has recently closed for major refurbishment, and will still be a social club when it re-opens, although without the scabby old sofas. The area has several independent business, such as Popinas bistro and Moorish, a popular north African restaurant. In addition, Hyde Park is home to many student house and street parties.

Housing

The vast majority of residential properties in the area are back-to-back terraces. Rents are somewhat cheaper than in neighbouring Headingley, which has a more upmarket image possessing some quite pricey bars and restaurants. The approximate average rent in the area is around £55 per person per week, although rents can be as low as £45-£50 and as high as £65. By letting to students individually, landlords are able to charge higher per house rents than would be achieved by letting the whole property outright, which is standard practice for non-students. Many houses in the area have 5 or more bedrooms and are spread out over as many as four levels: basement level (lower-ground floor), raised ground floor, first floor and 2nd floor (often constituted from a loft or attic conversion).

Chestnut Avenue

Chestnut Avenue in Hyde Park was the subject of many articles in 2001/02, including one in the Daily Mail asking ''Is this the most burgled street in Britain?''^[6]. This is not shown in the police statistics ^[7] but the high student population with many valuable items in their houses are a common target for criminals. In fact, references to its being, 'The most-burgled street in Britain' go back as far as at least 1993.

Police Brutality Claims

In the early hours of Saturday May 5th 2007, West Yorkshire Police shut down a street party held by the tenants of two properties on Hessle Terrace and Hessle Avenue, at which there were estimated to be 200-300 people. Students from the University of Leeds gained media coverage on BBC Look North[1], BBC Radio Leeds, The Yorkshire Evening Post, several local newspapers and a minor article on the BBC Yorkshire website[2], after claiming that the Police had used brutal and heavy handed tactics. They claim that at no point did the Police request the party be dispersed, however, the Police released a statement contradicting this claim.

Eight people were hospitalised with dog bites and injuries from Police batons, including one man with a fractured arm. Students involved claim that whilst the party was busy, it was also peaceful and relaxed, and that the Police's use of Dog Handlers and Batons was an extreme overreaction. After the incident, a group of students involved launched a Facebook campaign, and sent complaints to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. West Yorkshire Police are currently compiling an investigation against the members of the two properties that hosted the party, attempting to charge the individuals for being a Public nuisance.

References

1. List of local residents groups concerned with Landlordism and Studentification from the Heal HeadingleyWebsite
2. BBC News coverage of the suspected 'bomb factory
3. Leeds statistics, area statistics for Burley/Hyde Park in pdf format
4. Davis, Nick ''Dark Heart: The Shocking Truth About Hidden Britain'', Vintage ISBN 0-09-958301-1
5. Unity Day a festival held in Hyde Park
6. Heal Headingley National Newspapers Archive 22.5.02
7. Labour website, "Chestnut Avenue has been previously reported as ‘most burgled street In Britain’. Although this is disputed by police"