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From The Socialist newspaper, 19 August 2020
Leeds: Little London residents are celebrating
Little London, Leeds, photo Mtaylor848/CC, photo Mtaylor848/CC (Click to enlarge)
Tenants and residents in Little London, an inner-city, Leeds council estate, are celebrating. Private developer Engie has just withdrawn its application to build an 18-storey monster block of unaffordable flats on a valued green space, locally known as the Mound.
Little London is a densely populated. Poverty and overcrowding are rife. So when this application was first announced, nearly two years ago, local people were furious.
Loads of people came to public campaign meetings and talked about the lack of local amenities and safe spaces for their children to play.
They also expressed concern at the loss of over 50 mature trees - a disgrace in a city that has declared a 'climate emergency'.
It took much hard work to get the developers to back down. Even after having the application thrown out last August, the developers attempted to bypass local democracy by appealing to the government's Planning Inspectorate.
Without a concerted campaign involving meetings, protests, petitions and lobbying, this development would almost certainly have gone ahead.
Having beaten back the developers, we are determined to turn this victory into a beginning, not an end.
Plans are now in place to use this site for food growing initiatives and outdoor learning projects for local children.
We hope that the networks established throughout this campaign will be used to strengthen local tenant and resident organisation, so that solidarity can built around community issues in the future.
Steve Skinner, Little London Tenants and Residents Association chair
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In The Socialist 19 August 2020:
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NHS pay
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Socialist history
75 years since the publication of Animal Farm: From 'two legs bad' to 'two legs better'
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PCS union: Vote Yes in DWP ballot! Reject longer opening hours
Support the Tower Hamlets council workers, vote for Hugo Pierre!
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Black Lives Matter: this generation is willing to stand up and fight
Nottingham: oppose the far right and attempts to divide us
Your donations help us campaign
Leeds: Little London residents are celebrating
To push change we need to be organised - why we joined the Socialist Party
Brighton: Another luxury development
The Socialist: back to weekly soon
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2021