The Management
Area of West Leeds is characterised by two main areas. The first is a belt of
urban fringe countryside to the west of the district which divides Leeds and
Bradford. The second is the Kirkstall Valley and Hawksworth Wood which form
encapsulated areas of countryside and important green corridors.
Stretching
from Calverley to Cockersdale is an area of urban fringe countryside of both
arable and pastoral farmland containing the Aire and Calverley Valleys.
Situated between Leeds and Bradford these areas perform a critical Green Belt
function in preventing the coalescence of the two cities. The area provides an
important recreational resource for the communities of Farsley, Pudsey, Farnley
and Wortley. To the south-east of Pudsey better quality agricultural land is
used for intensive market gardening. Urban fringe pressures within the area are
evident through the encroachment of urban activities and the degradation of
land through vandalism, fly tipping, horse grazing and the gradual
deterioration of farmland features such as field boundaries.
Kirkstall
Valley represents an urban green corridor of strategic significance within the
district. Extending from the Inner City at Armley to Bramley Fall through to
the river valley beyond Calverley Bridge, the valley contains a series of
landscape features and individual attractions. Through this setting pass the
River Aire, Leeds and Liverpool Canal and Leeds-Carlisle railway line. Areas of
industrial activity and more recent redevelopment schemes contrast with more
open areas of the valley floor which contain a mixture of playing fields,
nursery gardens, parkland, woodlands and derelict land. Key attractions within
the valley include Armley Mills Museum, Armley Park, Gotts Park, Kirkstall
Abbey, the Abbey House Museum, Hawksworth Woods and Bramley Fall.
In addition,
the canal towpath and network of footpaths provide opportunities for informal
recreation. The waterways, woodlands and areas of green space provide
opportunities for nature conservation (such as the Kirkstall Valley Nature
Reserve). Given these characteristics, the Kirkstall Valley and the Aire Valley
as a whole are clearly key resources which need to be enhanced in the context
of the Countryside Strategy. The Kirkstall Valley is subject to a number of
pressures including development proposals, recreation activity and fly tipping.
One section falls within the Urban Development Area for which a planning
framework has been prepared.
Area
Initiatives
Within West Leeds several key initiatives have influenced and continue to
influence the character of the countryside. The Kirkstall Valley Park Plan and
the Kirkstall Valley Planning Framework and Ranger service have set a context
for countryside management within the Valley. The Kirkstall Valley Park Plan
and Kirkstall Valley Planning Framework have been subsumed within the Leeds
UDP. In addressing urban fringe issues between Leeds and Bradford, the
Tong/Calverley Countryside Project has been an important management tool for
over 20 years. The project represents a joint initiative between Leeds City
Council, Bradford Metropolitan Council, the Countryside Commission and local
community groups. The focus of the initiative has been to tackle landscape,
recreation, nature conservation and agricultural issues within the project
area, especially where conflicts occur between these uses. Within West Leeds
also the City Council is active in promoting the Parish Paths Partnership
Initiative at Pudsey.
Management
Strategy
Given the nature of countryside issues within West Leeds there is a need to
direct a countryside management strategy to focus upon landscape, urban fringe
and green corridor concerns.
Landscape
- Safeguard the
landscape character of the area through measures to Conserve/Restore, Restore,
Conserve/Enhance the existing character in appropriate locations.
Recreation
and Nature Conservation
- In
partnership with local communities, seek to maintain and promote initiatives to
protect and enhance the green corridor functions of the Kirkstall Valley in
relation to access, Nature Conservation and amenity.
Urban
Fringe
- Support and
develop Countryside Management initiatives to reconcile urban fringe problems
in securing positive opportunities.
- Secure
opportunities to improve access to the countryside where the Public Rights of
Way network is poorly established.