Holt Park
Encyclopedia
Holt Park is a medium-sized low-rise 1970s housing estate in the northwest suburbs of Leeds
, West Yorkshire
, England. It is approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from the Leeds city centre
situated between Tinshill
, Cookridge
and Adel
, and is at the edge of the Leeds metropolitan urban fringe, bordering the green belt
which makes up two thirds of the metropolitan borough
of the City of Leeds
. The nearby Tinshill BT Tower
dominates the skyline.
Holt Park is in the Leeds North West constituency; its Member of Parliament is Liberal Democrat
Greg Mulholland
, who won the seat from Labour
in the 2005 General Election
. The Liberal Democrat constituency office is in Holt Park District Centre.
in Wetherby
and Knottingley
), comprising a mixture of detached and semi-detached housing, and several apartments. This came about after an agreement between Norman Ashton (an experienced developer) and Leeds City Council
to create a new 'village' within the city, which would include a mixture of private and council housng stock with shops and leisure facilities. The farm was sold to the developers by The Co-op, who purchased the land in 1920 as one of five dairy farms in Leeds. The earlier housing was completed before the farm was closed, the farmer took advantage of this delivering milk to all the new residents in the early years.
The council housing is prefabricated small mews-style set in cul-de-sacs, with several parades of two storey blocks of flats. At the same time two schools, a sports centre (Holt Park Leisure Centre), a library
(Holt Park Library, which was annexed to and therefore part of the High School) and a shopping centre were built. The sports centre can be found within the shopping complex, and the area is collectively known as Holt Park District Centre.
The original Ralph Thoresby buildings were built around 1975, and remained the school's premises until September 2007. This previous campus was strategically built as part of the district centre, and so the leisure centre and the library were actually, as well as being fully accessible to the public, a part of the school's premises.
Holt Park Library and Ralph Thoresby High School were re-built on a new site off Holt Dale Approach (south), with the opening in September 2007. The old school buildings have since been demolished and the area cleared, although what will replace it remains unclear. This is one in a long line of North Leeds secondary schools to be rebuilt, following Lawnswood School
and Roundhay School
to name but two.
The shopping centre has decreased in character over the past ten years, with many businesses occupying the units either closing or relocating, such as Casavanty, United Newsagents and Weigh 'n' Save. Some have remained, however, such as the popular fish and chip shop (Holt Park Fisheries), the bookmakers. A dental practice was established in the late 2000s. The Asda
store, which underwent a small extension and revised floor layout in late 2004, remains the most significant and dominant retail unit at the Centre. Although it is in Holt Park itself, it is (mistakenly) named and referred to by Asda as 'Asda at Adel'.
Adjacent to the shopping centre is High Farm, the farm which the estate was originally built on and around, and later converted into a public house
. The building itself is known to date back to the 17th century and the interior of the pub still contains period features such the original oak beams. The shopping centre also contains the area's bus 'station'. In many ways the district centre is similar (although smaller) to many new town
shopping centres such as those in Newton Aycliffe
and Cumbernauld
.
There are two public houses in Holt Park. The High Farm, adjacent to the shopping centre, is situated in the old farm buildings and won awards when converted into a pub in the 1970s. It has a function room in an original barn with beams dating back to the 16th century. Further away,in a wooded area at the edge of the local authority part of the estate, is the 1970s-built pub, The Eyrie, which has changed little since first being built.
A prominent health service in Holt Park, High Field Surgery, is located close to the Holt Park District Centre, the local GP practice. An additional practice, Holt Park Doctor's Surgery (also known as 'Holt Park Health Centre') lies close to Highfield Surgery, and next to the shopping centre main entrance.
Since the building of the shopping centre, a pharmacy-cum-chemist has existed for the collection of prescriptions from the nearby surgeries. Initially Bloom's the Chemist, it was located adjacent to Asda
supermarket. In 1999 it became Moss Pharmacy, and used the same unit until 2004 when it moved into a smaller unit due to the refurbishment and expansion of Asda. It subsequently became a Lloyd's Pharmacy; in 2009 it was re-opened as part of the Boots chain.
In 2007 Holt Park Dental Practice was opened.
(formerly Yorkshire Rider
), particularly Route 1 "Brown Line" which runs from the shopping centre, through Weetwood
, Headingley
, Leeds University, Leeds city centre
and terminates in the South Leeds area of Beeston. The original terminus of the Route 1 in Holt Park was the roundel where Heathfield meets Holt Lane. The very first public-service bendy-buses in the United Kingdom were pioneered on this route in 1999. By 2009 withdrawals had begun on these vehicles and by 2011 they were fully withdrawn.
The Route 6 "Sky Blue Line" (formerly the 96 "Sky Line") bus service runs through Cookridge
, Tinshill
, Weetwood, Headingley and Leeds University to Leeds City bus station
. The original 96 route ran to, and terminated at, Cookridge. In the late 2000s, the route was extended to Holt Park via Cookridge, before being renumbered as the number 6 in 2009.
Route 940 (operated by TLC of Bradford) also runs from the shopping centre to Otley
, via Bramhope
and Pool-in-Wharfedale
.
Routes 31 and 32 run to Horsforth
via Cookridge.
The nearest railway station to Holt Park is Horsforth
situated on the Leeds-Harrogate-York Line
.
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England. It is approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) from the Leeds city centre
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
situated between Tinshill
Tinshill
Tinshill is a district of Leeds, 4 miles north of Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Horsforth and Cookridge. When the estate was planned in the 1940s it was originally known as the 'Cookridge Tower Estate'. The estate predated surrounding estates such as...
, Cookridge
Cookridge
Cookridge is a suburb of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a mixture of suburban, twentieth-century private housing and a very small amount of council housing bordering Tinshill. It is in the Adel and Wharfedale ward of City of Leeds metropolitan district, and the Leeds North West...
and Adel
Adel, Leeds
Adel is a suburb in North Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Cookridge, Holt Park, Weetwood and Alwoodley. To the north are the villages of Arthington and Bramhope and the market town of Otley...
, and is at the edge of the Leeds metropolitan urban fringe, bordering the green belt
Green belt
A green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
which makes up two thirds of the metropolitan borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
of the City of Leeds
City of Leeds
The City of Leeds is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England, governed by Leeds City Council, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. The metropolitan district includes Leeds and the towns of Farsley, Garforth, Guiseley, Horsforth, Morley, Otley, Pudsey, Rothwell,...
. The nearby Tinshill BT Tower
Tinshill BT Tower
The Tinshill BT Tower is a telecommunication tower located on the east side of Otley Old Road in the north of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
dominates the skyline.
Holt Park is in the Leeds North West constituency; its Member of Parliament is Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Greg Mulholland
Greg Mulholland
Gregory Thomas Mulholland is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom, and is the Member of Parliament for Leeds North West. He was first elected at the 2005 general election, winning the seat from Labour and was re-elected with an increased majority at the 2010 general election. Before...
, who won the seat from Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
in the 2005 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
. The Liberal Democrat constituency office is in Holt Park District Centre.
Housing
One half of Holt Park was built as a council estate; the other half as private housing - the latter being of the period 'Ashton' design (similar to many across Leeds such as AinstyAinsty, Wetherby
Ainsty is an area of Wetherby, West Yorkshire. Ainsty is situated to the North of Wetherby and runs as far as the border between North and West Yorkshire, to the north of this is Kirk Deighton.-Location:...
in Wetherby
Wetherby
Wetherby is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Wharfe, and has been for centuries a crossing place and staging post on the Great North Road, being mid-way between London and Edinburgh...
and Knottingley
Knottingley
Knottingley is a town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the A1 road. It has a population of 13,503....
), comprising a mixture of detached and semi-detached housing, and several apartments. This came about after an agreement between Norman Ashton (an experienced developer) and Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
to create a new 'village' within the city, which would include a mixture of private and council housng stock with shops and leisure facilities. The farm was sold to the developers by The Co-op, who purchased the land in 1920 as one of five dairy farms in Leeds. The earlier housing was completed before the farm was closed, the farmer took advantage of this delivering milk to all the new residents in the early years.
The council housing is prefabricated small mews-style set in cul-de-sacs, with several parades of two storey blocks of flats. At the same time two schools, a sports centre (Holt Park Leisure Centre), a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
(Holt Park Library, which was annexed to and therefore part of the High School) and a shopping centre were built. The sports centre can be found within the shopping complex, and the area is collectively known as Holt Park District Centre.
Ralph Thoresby School
Holt Park Library and Ralph Thoresby High School were re-built on a new site off Holt Dale Approach (south), with the opening in September 2007. The old school buildings have since been demolished and the area cleared, although what will replace it remains unclear. This is one in a long line of North Leeds secondary schools to be rebuilt, following Lawnswood School
Lawnswood School
Lawnswood School is a state comprehensive school in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has about 1500 male and female pupils, aged 11–18. It is a specialist Maths and Computing College. The sixth form was deemed extremely good in the most recent Ofsted inspection in 2009, however the...
and Roundhay School
Roundhay School
Roundhay School is a specialist Technology College and Language College in Roundhay, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.-Admissions:...
to name but two.
Holt Park District Centre
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
store, which underwent a small extension and revised floor layout in late 2004, remains the most significant and dominant retail unit at the Centre. Although it is in Holt Park itself, it is (mistakenly) named and referred to by Asda as 'Asda at Adel'.
Adjacent to the shopping centre is High Farm, the farm which the estate was originally built on and around, and later converted into a public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. The building itself is known to date back to the 17th century and the interior of the pub still contains period features such the original oak beams. The shopping centre also contains the area's bus 'station'. In many ways the district centre is similar (although smaller) to many new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
shopping centres such as those in Newton Aycliffe
Newton Aycliffe
Newton Aycliffe is a town in County Durham, England. Founded in 1947 under the New Towns Act of 1946, it is the oldest new town in the north of England.-Geography:...
and Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld
Cumbernauld is a Scottish new town in North Lanarkshire. It was created in 1956 as a population overspill for Glasgow City. It is the eighth most populous settlement in Scotland and the largest in North Lanarkshire...
.
Public houses
Local Health Services
Lawrence Gaunt Opticians operated in the area from 1978 until 2011, when it relocated from Holt Park District Centre to the newly-built Ireland Wood Medical Practice.A prominent health service in Holt Park, High Field Surgery, is located close to the Holt Park District Centre, the local GP practice. An additional practice, Holt Park Doctor's Surgery (also known as 'Holt Park Health Centre') lies close to Highfield Surgery, and next to the shopping centre main entrance.
Since the building of the shopping centre, a pharmacy-cum-chemist has existed for the collection of prescriptions from the nearby surgeries. Initially Bloom's the Chemist, it was located adjacent to Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
supermarket. In 1999 it became Moss Pharmacy, and used the same unit until 2004 when it moved into a smaller unit due to the refurbishment and expansion of Asda. It subsequently became a Lloyd's Pharmacy; in 2009 it was re-opened as part of the Boots chain.
In 2007 Holt Park Dental Practice was opened.
Transport
Holt Park has bus services operated by First LeedsFirst Leeds
First Leeds is one of the bus companies serving the area of West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of FirstGroup, a company operating transport services across the British Isles and in North America...
(formerly Yorkshire Rider
Yorkshire Rider
-History:Yorkshire Rider was formed in 1986, as a result of deregulation of bus services in the UK. The West Yorkshire PTE was no longer allowed to operate buses itself, so an arm's length operating company was created. In 1988 the undertaking became fully privatised when it was subject to an...
), particularly Route 1 "Brown Line" which runs from the shopping centre, through Weetwood
Weetwood
Weetwood is an area between Headingley and Meanwood in north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is bounded on the north by the A6120 , on the west by the A660 , on the east by Meanwood Beck and to the south by Hollin Lane...
, Headingley
Headingley
Headingley is a suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road...
, Leeds University, Leeds city centre
Leeds City Centre
Leeds city centre is the central business district of Leeds, England. It is within the Leeds Central parliamentary constituency, represented by Hilary Benn as MP since a by-election in 1999...
and terminates in the South Leeds area of Beeston. The original terminus of the Route 1 in Holt Park was the roundel where Heathfield meets Holt Lane. The very first public-service bendy-buses in the United Kingdom were pioneered on this route in 1999. By 2009 withdrawals had begun on these vehicles and by 2011 they were fully withdrawn.
The Route 6 "Sky Blue Line" (formerly the 96 "Sky Line") bus service runs through Cookridge
Cookridge
Cookridge is a suburb of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is a mixture of suburban, twentieth-century private housing and a very small amount of council housing bordering Tinshill. It is in the Adel and Wharfedale ward of City of Leeds metropolitan district, and the Leeds North West...
, Tinshill
Tinshill
Tinshill is a district of Leeds, 4 miles north of Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. It is situated between Horsforth and Cookridge. When the estate was planned in the 1940s it was originally known as the 'Cookridge Tower Estate'. The estate predated surrounding estates such as...
, Weetwood, Headingley and Leeds University to Leeds City bus station
Leeds City bus station
Leeds City bus station serves the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The bus station is owned and managed by Metro. It is situated between the Quarry Hill and Leeds City Markets areas of Leeds city centre...
. The original 96 route ran to, and terminated at, Cookridge. In the late 2000s, the route was extended to Holt Park via Cookridge, before being renumbered as the number 6 in 2009.
Route 940 (operated by TLC of Bradford) also runs from the shopping centre to Otley
Otley
-Transport:The main roads through the town are the A660 to the south east, which connects Otley to Bramhope, Adel and Leeds city centre, and the A65 to the west, which goes to Ilkley and Skipton. The A6038 heads to Guiseley, Shipley and Bradford, connecting with the A65...
, via Bramhope
Bramhope
Bramhope is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England, north of Holt Park and north east of Cookridge....
and Pool-in-Wharfedale
Pool-in-Wharfedale
Pool in Wharfedale is a village and civil parish in the Lower Wharfedale area, 10 miles north of Leeds city centre and 2 miles east of Otley. It is in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire and within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is in the LS21 ...
.
Routes 31 and 32 run to Horsforth
Horsforth
Horsforth is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England, lying to the north west of Leeds. It has a population of 18,928....
via Cookridge.
The nearest railway station to Holt Park is Horsforth
Horsforth railway station
Horsforth railway station is a railway station in West Yorkshire, England. It is on the Harrogate Line north west of Leeds station and the final stop in the Metro regulated area towards Harrogate...
situated on the Leeds-Harrogate-York Line
Harrogate Line
The Harrogate Line is the name given to a passenger rail service through parts of North Yorkshire and the West Yorkshire Metro area of northern England connecting Leeds to York by way of Harrogate and Knaresborough. The service is operated by Northern Rail, with a few additional workings by East...
.