Thinking of moving to Leeds and not sure which place to set up camp?
There’s Roundhay, with it’s park and fancy houses, if you happen to earn a six-figure income. Or Hyde Park, if you don’t mind living next door to nocturnal students from the Home Counties.
But if you’re looking for the perfect mixture of chill and vibrant, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better spot than Chapel Allerton.
Don’t believe me? The Sunday Times recently heralded CA as one the best places to live.
The guide, released in March, selected villages, towns and cities based on schools, transport, air quality and broadband speeds on top of green spaces and high streets. Judges also picked improving areas with strong, self-supporting communities.
And it turns out little old Chapel Allerton fit the criteria.
The guide said: “A well supported independent high street — with a fishmonger, bookshop, cheese shop and much more — and an inspiring and imaginative community group, CA Spaces, make this urban village our favourite corner of Leeds.”
The judges added they were, “particularly impressed with the efforts of CA Spaces — mostly run by young mums juggling work and homeschooling — to beautify the area, including street art, tree planting and creating pick-your-own veg beds and a ‘mud kitchen’ for children in a patch of neglected woodland.”
Three miles north of Leeds city centre, Chapel Allerton is an ideal place to live independently or raise a family.
That is, if you can afford it. Figures by Rightmove showed that in 2020, the average house price in Chapel Allerton was £262,839. For scale, the Leeds average is £216,392.
Why the hike? Real estate experts put it down to the demand brought on by a class reputation for community.
Chapel Allerton
Mark Whincup, Territory Operator for Leeds at Purplebricks, said: “Chapel Allerton has a long list of desirable features.
“Its bustling centre boasts several boutique bars and restaurants, it is within commuting distance of Leeds and has good transport links too.
“It is family-friendly with excellent schools and is close to great local parks.
“But I think what truly sets Chapel Allerton apart is that it has a real community feel.”
Chapel Allerton is a bit of an anomaly in that it caters to both “big” shops like Aldi and independent ones and neither turfs out the other, unlike almost every town in the UK. The residents seem to distribute their custom to both sides and stop CA from becoming a vacant passing-visit supermarket spot.
“Alongside this,” Mark added, “you’ve got great sports facilities like the Tennis and Squash Club, which sits at the back of a fantastic pub called The Mustard Pot, one of many great bars and restaurants in the area.
“If you go to the other side you have the lovely walks of Gledhow Woods and it isn’t too far to get to Roundhay Park.
Chapel Allerton is, of course, also home to the annual Leeds West Indian Carnival. The longest-running of its sort in Europe. Even longer than London’s Notting Hill Carnival. I’m serious.
The pubs and restaurants are second to none, as are the schools. These are clichés you hear about every town under the sun but with Chapel Allerton, they really are true. If you somehow find yourself getting tired of the wholesomeness and banging amenities, the city centre is only a short journey away.
It’s this novel experience that keeps attracting people from all walks of life. Once everything fully fully opens, do yourself a favour and have a gander.
News
Plans to turn one of Leeds’ most historic buildings into padel courts approved
One of Leeds’ most iconic buildings is set to be brought back to life.
Plans for a brand-new padel and leisure destination at The Roundhouse on Wellington Road have been approved by Leeds City Council’s West Plans Panel.
Consent has been granted for Ollo Padel to transform the Grade II* listed Roundhouse into a state-of-the-art sport, fitness, food, drink and community venue subject to conditions and completion of a Section 106 agreement.
Built in 1847 for the Leeds and Thirsk Railway Company, The Roundhouse was once home to the steam locomotives that powered industrial Victorian Leeds. In recent years, the building has stood largely unused.
Image: Supplied
The approved plans will restore and protect the landmark building and give the site a new, long-term future as one of the city’s most distinctive leisure destinations.
The three-acre site, located on the edge of Leeds city centre, will include nine outdoor doubles padel courts under a 10-metre canopy, plus a dedicated indoor coaching court within The Roundhouse itself.
At the heart of the site will be the Ollo Clubhouse; built around an all-day kitchen and bar, it will combine a comfortable lounge and co-working space, meeting rooms and live sport and events spaces.
The kitchen and bar will be run in partnership with Southbank Provisions, the independent Leeds hospitality team behind Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Galleria whilst the gym will be operated by fitness and performance specialists Northbound, who will bring strength and conditioning practice, Hyrox training and pilates classes to The Roundhouse.
Image: Supplied
Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the venue aiming to open in early 2027.
Luke Gidney, Founder & CEO Ollo Padel: "This is a huge day for Leeds, for The Roundhouse and for Ollo. The Roundhouse has been part of the city’s story for nearly 180 years. It’s an incredible building but it needs people, energy and purpose again. Our plan is to bring it back to life as a place where people can play, eat, work, meet friends and feel part of something.
"Padel is growing so quickly because it’s fun, social and easy to pick up. But for us, this is about more than just the courts. We want Ollo to become a proper community destination for Leeds, somewhere welcoming, joyful and full of life.
"We’re incredibly grateful to Leeds City Council’s planning team, our case officer, the wider council team and everyone who has supported the project to this point. This has been a complex project but the sport and engagement throughout has been brilliant. Now the real work starts and we cannot wait to open the doors for you.”
New study crowns Leeds as one of the friendliest cities in the UK
Clementine Hall
New research has revealed a global ranking of cities with the best customer service, with Leeds taking one of the top spots.
If you've been wondering which cities across the world are the friendliest of them all, then look no further because MoneySuperMarket have done the work for us in a new study.
In a world where social media culture plays a huge part in people's lives, online customer reviews are pretty important to local businesses.
To uncover the global locations that are home to the best customer service, the businesses insurance experts analysed over 100,000 reviews of leisure and hospitality businesses in 107 cities worldwide.
They looked at the language in the reviews to see how often friendly workers and staff were mentioned, building a global ranking of the cities where customer service truly stands out.
Out of a whopping 107, Leeds came in at a very respectable number 12. Now we think that's pretty good going.
Outside of the UK, Hanoi, Paris, Montreal and Abu Dhabi were highlighted for their friendly customer service whilst Edinburgh tops the global ranking, with Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol also making the world’s top 10.
The top 10 cities in the UK with the best customer service are as follows:
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Birmingham
Bristol
Belfast
Leeds
Glasgow
Cardiff
Manchester
London
Alicia Hempsted spoke on the study: “As businesses grow and engage with more customers, it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Public liability insurance is an important safeguard for those working with the public, helping to cover costs if something goes wrong, while also showing customers that their experience is taken seriously - from the moment they walk through the door to long after they’ve left.”
Josh Teal -
26th May 2021 
