Leeds Civic Trust Newsletter April 2020 Message From
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OUTLOOK LEEDS CIVIC TRUST NEWSLETTER APRIL 2020 MESSAGE FROM MARTIN The Trust Director writes a special piece about our response to the current Covid-19 pandemic. SEE PAGE 2 PLANNING NEWS Technology allows our Planning Committee to keep ‘meeting’ with Mike Piet on the line to report. SEE PAGE 4 WASTE NOT Claude Saint Arroman considers what we throw away after a visit to Martin HW Waste facility. SEE PAGE 6 MERCURY RETROGRADE Roderic Parker reports on a Trust visit to a printers with a collection of very special vintage postcards. SEE PAGE 8 KEITH WATERHOUSE HONOURED The Hunslet born author and journalist now has his own blue plaque. SEE PAGE 10 ALTHOUGHWHERE WAS THE THIS OFFICE PHOTO IS TAKENCURRENTLY FROM? CLOSED, FIND OUT A RAINBOW IN NEXT MONTH’S HAS APPEARED OUTLOOK... IN ITS WINDOW. ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT CONSERVING AND ENHANCING PROMOTING THE IMPROVEMENT THAT IS A SOURCE OF PRIDE THE HERITAGE OF LEEDS OF PUBLIC AMENITIES 2 APRIL 2020 A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR A message from Trust Director, Martin, regarding the Trust’s response to Covid-19. It doesn’t need me to tell you that these are extraordinary times. Back in January we were looking forward to a full year here at the Trust. Events were being finalised, a full schedule of blue plaque unveilings scheduled, our spring season of corporate lunches with a new caterer booked and plans to implement our five year Vision were progressing. We now have the proofs for the much- anticipated second Blue Plaques book, and we were looking forward to launch this in late Spring. A few short weeks later, and much of what we had planned is either impossible, impractical or will have to be done in a very different way. Whilst the work we do is important, we cannot class the Trust as an essential service. This has meant that Although our committees cannot The current situation also gives us for the moment we cannot have a meet physically, discussions continue the opportunity for some virtual presence at our Wharf Street Offices via email – and in the case of the spring cleaning. We continue to tidy – the team is working from home, Planning Committee, this will up our new database system, it is an using technology to keep in touch continue to meet via telephone opportunity to develop and refresh (including two formal team meetings conference. Building work may policies for the Trust on everything per week via videoconference). have slowed in Leeds, but there are from data protection to health and However, we are still functioning as clearly many planning applications safety, and to plan for how the Trust an organisation, and as you will see still working their way through the responds to a post Covid-19 world? elsewhere in this edition of Outlook, system and the Trust will continue changed circumstances have opened So for now, we are working on to comment on them. Our Board up new opportunities for us. the basis that there will be no of Trustees will continue to hold physical events or activities until We hope to continue to offer events its meetings even if it cannot meet early summer; all events have been and to engage with our members, physically. cancelled until the end of May and it but this will often be via the internet Although for the moment it is not seems likely that the same will apply giving us the opportunity to produce possible to produce Outlook in hard for June. We will review this as the video clips, make more use of our copy, we will continue to produce an national situation evolves, and will social media presence and mount email version – and we have sent out let you know as soon as the situation online discussions and talks. If you postcards to members who have not changes. If you need to contact the are on twitter, now is a good time to provided email addresses to see if Trust urgently, you can do so either start to follow us @leedscivictrust - they wish to receive the newsletter via email ([email protected]. We are featuring an historic Leeds electronically. We are also very keen uk) or by phoning 07942 670333 and postcard every day in April from to ensure that our many volunteers leaving a message. our collection. And, as you will read right across the Trust are supported, elsewhere, we are launching a new In the meantime, keep healthy and and to offer a platform for discussion blog for the city. safe. during this hiatus. WWW.LEEDSCIVICTRUST.ORG.UK OUTLOOK 3 YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO HELP THE TRUST Keeping in touch with Trust members and the public is more important than ever, can you help us? We’re sure many of you are users of Facebook, Instagram or twitter and use these to keep up to date with friends and groups both near and far? Can you offer a couple of hours a week during the current situation to help the Trust reach a wider audience, as well as help us keep in touch with members? We are looking for WE HAVE BEEN Facebook – A Private Group for ‘POSTING’ A Members ‘POSTCARD A DAY’ ON OUR TWITTER • A few individuals to help moderate FEED the page; - this would involve approving current members who want to join • Blue Plaque Correspondent – can Aboutleeds.blog – we’ll be launching the group you send a post a few days a week a blog in the coming weeks, this will - thinking of a few topics to start highlighting a different blue plaque? be an independent space for guest conversations e.g. self-isolation tips, The public enjoy seeing these and writers to write about Leeds, from are you finding the air cleaner? Etc they are nice ways to highlight our planning to heritage to what it could etc work and to champion a past Leeds learn from other towns and cities, - the aim of this page is a space hero/event or building. the Trust will moderate the blog but for members to continue ‘to meet’ • Good quality images and it will be a place for collaboration informally, sharing light-hearted anecdotes are particularly well and conversation. Have a look at the stories and anecdotes received on Instagram. blog to get a sense of the articles currently featured and if you have an - Martin will post a regular ‘planning • Again, staff would support you idea for an article please feel free to discussion’ video to this page in any technical aspects as well as submit one to us (up to 700 words). - Staff will support you with any helping with any ideas you’d like to Any suggestions are appreciated at technical queries as well as support take forward. this time and we will try and take with possible content • If you’re feeling unconfident about forward as many ideas as possible – your content going ‘live’ to the Instagram/twitter the Trust does not have a ‘marketing general public we will be happy to • Are you going on a daily walk/ team’ and we are novices when it review these before they are posted. cycle ride? Would you like to help comes to some online platforms, but us by taking a photo of interesting Other help together we’re sure we can come places you visit and adding this to If you deliver talks, walks, quizzes up with engaging and informative our twitter/Instagram? You may even or other creative activities, would content that speaks to other pass a blue plaque or two that would you like to do these on one of these members and to the wider public. make interesting features? (see via one of the Trust’s social media Please do get in touch with us during below for example) platforms? We also have a Youtube the next few week even if you’re • Do you have interesting facts and channel if you wanted to showcase not particularly confident about quirky anecdotes or images about any talents or deliver a talk on a using social media, and we can work Leeds? Would you like to compile a relevant topic? Get in touch and we’ll together to develop your ideas. few of these for the Trust and share be happy to support you and think of these via social media? ways to take this forward. WWW.LEEDSCIVICTRUST.ORG.UK 4 APRIL 2020 PLANNING NEWS Planning applications submitted to the Council move soley online, but our Committee are still meeting to review them. Last month it was Storm Dennis that dominated the news but it’s all different now. The Trust has had to close down almost all of its activities due to Covid-19 so this will be the last report on ‘live’ planning committee meetings for some time. However, we are looking to meet virtually (if not virtuously) through the means of teleconferencing. But back to early March and our only presentation to the full committee. This related to the proposal to construct a new terminal at Leeds Bradford Airport. We all appreciate that the existing building is unattractive, not fit for purpose and a poor entry point for the region. We thought the overall plans for the building were good but, while we had concerns about some of the layout details, we felt there were some fundamental issues to be addressed: • the long-term future of the airport: will the climate emergency, changing public attitudes to flying and high- speed rail services (direct or to hubs SANTANDER MERRION STREET such as Manchester or Heathrow) lead to a change in national policy which might make the airport the site of the Santander offices such a situation arises but here ‘redundant’? in Merrion Street.