"An idea of the 60s which went sadly wrong": The demise of Leeds's Hunslet Grange flats
“People had their own separate place and did not have any contact with the people around them”
“An idea of the 60s which went sadly wrong.”
The damning verdict of a former tenant of Hunslet Grange turned Labour councillor John Gunnell.
He was talking in the autumn of 1987 after the first phase of a scheme to replace Hunslet Grange, also known as Leek Street flats were unveiled. They were replaced with traditional brick built houses opened by Tenants’ Association chairman Pat Tallett.
The pair were joined by Leeds City Council housing committee chairman Coun Bill Kilgallon and unveiled a ‘monument’ containing the plaque which marked the official opening of the now demolished flats by Housing Minister Anthony Greenwood in April 1967 and a new one commemorating the 36-house development in Prosper Street.
They were arranged in blocks of six or seven storeys, with overhead walkways connecting the blocks. They proved popular but soon problems with damp and condensation began to develop and the heating systems proved inadequate.
“People had there own separate place and did not have any contact with the people around them,” recalled Coun Gunnell, who lived in the flats for more than seven years. “What we now see around us is something completely different.”
He also warned that the redevelopment of Hunslet Grange site offered a lesson foe the future in the light of Government plans to take public housing out of the hands of local authorities.
“If Hunslet Grange flats had been turned over to owners other than the city council would anyone have had their own vision to pull them down and start something fresh? The answer is no.”
Mrs Tallett said the new development was the result of close cooperation between tenants and the council.
“There couldn’t be a greater contrast between my new house and my old flat, she said. “It just goes to show that the tenants are usually right. We never wanted concrete maisonettes in the sky - we always wanted bricks and mortar and gardens.
“It’s good the council have listened to us this time.”