Hyde Park, Leeds

Infobox UK place
country = England
map_type= West Yorkshire
official_name= Hyde Park
latitude = 53.81141
longitude = -1.57245
metropolitan_borough= City of Leeds
metropolitan_county= West Yorkshire
region = Yorkshire and the Humber
constituency_westminster= |post_town= LEEDS
postcode_district= LS6
postcode_area= LS
dial_code= 0113
os_grid_reference= SE282350
static_

static_image_caption=Brudenell Road, one of the main roads through Hyde Park

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. The area is in the centre of the city's student community. 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 one Hindu temple 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 [List of local residents groups concerned with Landlordism and Studentification from the [http://www.healheadingley.org.uk/residents/groups.htm Heal Headingley] Website ] .

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 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/4681535.stm BBC News] coverage of the suspected 'bomb factory] . 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 [ [http://www.leeds-statistics.org/PDF_Downloads/Files/NW%20Hyde%20Park%20and%20Woodhouse.pdf Leeds statistics] , area statistics for Burley/Hyde Park in pdf format] . 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 [ Davis, Nick "Dark Heart: The Shocking Truth About Hidden Britain", Vintage ISBN 0-09-958301-1 ] . The local community rallied and created Unity Day [ [http://www.unityday.freeserve.co.uk/ Unity Day] a festival held in Hyde Park] a popular community festival started by the Hyde Park Residents Association held on the adjacent Woodhouse Moor, usually in August.

Amenities

Hyde Park is the home of the Hyde Park Picture House, an independent, historic, art house cinema. 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 a venue for local and underground music. The area is also home to the Hyde Park Social Club, a members-only pub.

Housing

The majority of residential properties in the area are late Victorian and Edwardian back-to-back brick terraces or face onto wide streets with communal access alleyways at the rear. Main roads are cambered and some still retain original Yorkstone pavements and iron guttering.

Nowadays a large number of houses in Hyde Park are owned by private landlords due to the area's proximity to the city's colleges and universities.

Notable Residents

Swallows and Amazons author Arthur Ransome was born in the area, a blue plaque on No 6 Ash Grove commemorates this. [cite web|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/35673?docPos=3|title=Ransome, Arthur Michell (1884–1967)|last=Avery|first=Gillian|date=2004|work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|accessdate=2008-06-11 | format=subscription required for online access] Singer Ricky Wilson, of the band Kaiser Chiefs, lived in Hyde Park whilst a student at Leeds Metropolitan University.fact|date=June 2008

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?" [ [http://www.healheadingley.org.uk/press/national03.htm Heal Headingley] National Newspapers Archive 22.5.02] . This is not shown in the police statistics [ [http://www.phyllisstarkey.labour.co.uk/viewpage.cfm?Page=4301 Labour] website, "Chestnut Avenue has been previously reported as ‘most burgled street In Britain’. Although this is disputed by police"] 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.

Hessle Terrace

In the early hours of Saturday 5 May 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, [cite web | author=BBC News | title=Students slam "brutal" police |format=video clip| url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_6630000/newsid_6635700?redirect=6635747.stm&news=1&nbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1&bbram=1 | accessdate=2008-01-17] BBC Radio Leeds, The Yorkshire Evening Post [cite news | work=Yorkshire Evening Post | last=Smith | first=Bruce | title=Chief refutes brutality over street party| url=http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Chief-refutes-brutality-claim-over.2861276.jp | accessdate=2008-01-17 | date=2007-05-09] , several local newspapers and a minor article on the BBC Yorkshire website, [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_yorkshire/6628109.stm BBC NEWS | England | West Yorkshire | Dog handlers quell 'disturbance' ] ] 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. After an investigation by the West Yorkshire Police, attempts to charge the members of the two properties that hosted the party for being a Public nuisance, eventually led to no charges being pressed by the police on the individuals in question.

References

External links

* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/unityday Pictures of Unity Day on Flickr]