Support the RPCC…..

According to todays Yorkshire Evening Post the Royal Park Community Consortium will submit its proposals for the reinvention of Hyde Parks derelict Royal Park school to be transformed into a community hub.

Under the proposals;

More than £1m would be spent developing and running a wide range of facilities that could include prayer space, workshops, art exhibitions, offices, cafe, childcare, business uses, performance area, charity shop and meeting rooms.

Ontop of this according to the business plan the hub will run at a surplus after five years. Surely this proposal should automatically be accepted and not even enter into competition with other proposals?  However, Leeds City Council was ready to accept a proposal from Rushbond PLC to turn the schools site into flats.

No logical reason exists for the Council to deny the local community control over Royal Park School. When it was ‘occupied’ those involved in the ‘occupation’ sought to renovate the building (something that surely is a community service) and the response they met with is they were legally hounded-out.

In the Conservatives case this is an example of how the local group can’t even act in a way that is in-line with nationally stated policy. According to David Cameron the ‘Community Right to Buy’ will be introduced by a Conservative government. Royal Park should, in fact, have been transferred to community ownership under the governments own asset transfer scheme but Leeds City Council has dragged its heels with regard to that too.

Not only would the acceptance of the Consortiums proposals give a community hub but it would also give an economic boost to the area with the renovation project leading to job creation and of course, attendant economic input into the local area. Therefore there really is no excuses for the continued delay in Leeds City Councils decision-making process.  More details can be found here about the Consortium and the campaign…