Madeleine Joy Home Students move out (Leeds Liberal Democrats)

Leeds Liberal Democrats <info@leedslibdems.org.uk>

Madeleine Joy Home Students move out

September 2, 2003 3:13 PM

Headingley Councillors have learnt that students in the Madeleine Joy Home are to move out. This follows a court case and further enforcement action by the City Council's Planning Department.

Councillor Martin Hamilton (Lib Dem, Headingley) commented "All parties will no doubt breath a sigh of relief that this episode appears to be over. We have said all along that developers should not be able to flout planning rules without comeback. Planning rules are there to protect both tenants and their neighbours. It seems unfair that for legal reasons the tenants rather than their landlord were technically at fault and therefore legal action was being pursued against them rather than the landlord."

Councillor Greg Mulholland (Lib Dem, Headingley) added "I trust that Mr Moran will now refund the students' deposits in full. Whatever happens to this building in future, Headingley Councillors will be doing all they can to ensure that proper planning procedures are followed, and that residents have ample opportunity to make their views known."

Cllr Martin Hamilton (Lib Dem, Headingley) summed up the whole episode saying "The only clear winners in this are the lawyers who have no doubt made a packet out of this sorry saga."

Note to Editors

The landlord, Mr Simon Moran, allowed students to sign tenancy agreements and move in before planning permission had been granted to change the building from a nursing home into a student residence. Student were unaware that planning permission was needed when they signed up. A retrospective planning application for change of use to a student home has since been rejected by city planners. In recent weeks the stand-off had resulted in increased tensions between tenants and their neighbours.