Please sign our petition here.

We, the undersigned, call on the University of Leeds to:

1. Immediately stop any plans for the sale of 6 Grosvenor Mount that will result in the destruction of the glasshouses and development of this site into private housing
2. Allow the community to decide the future of the site, or otherwise ensure that this site is used in a way which serves the interests of the wider community
3. Immediately stop the possession order being taken against Leeds Community Project (LCP), the current legal occupiers, and allow for them to maintain the site and facilitate its transformation into a community space

[…]

This Friday night the greatest show in town is at Leeds Community Project. Set to a magical backdrop of glasshouses and wild forest, 6 incredible speakers will be working their hardest to pleasure your neurons and focus your heart on the things that matter. Spring is most definitely upon us, and CP Talks is here to hold your hand and show you the way.

Confirmed Speakers:
Hannah Reade- ‘Needle in the haystack- An introduction to Acupuncture’
Joshua Lawson- ‘Time to rethink economics?’
Harvir Braich and Maia Adriana- ‘T-tip of the Iceberg’
Ifty Patel- ‘Pinning the tail on the map: New lands, New friends and ‘Twin Towers before the Twin Towers’
Samuel Lawson- Beyond Button Mushrooms: Amazing feats of a fungal nature
Steph X- ‘Tools and the Empowerment of Tools’

See the famous glasshouses and join the debate.

A third article about the Leeds Community Project has appeared in this week’s edition of the Leeds University newspaper “The Gryphon”. The online version can be read here.

“Activists from Leeds Community Project re-entered 6 Grosvenor Mount on Wednesday after being removed from the site last month.

The group claims that it was ‘unlawfully evicted’ following a six-day occupation in protest of plans to sell the University-owned land to private investors. Three activists were arrested during the incident, and later released without charge.

Leeds Community Project has since announced that it is planning legal action against the University…”

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting us since we have re-ocuppied 6 Grosvenor Mount! We still need lots of support tomorrow, and we welcome everyone to our meetings on Saturday 7th:

10-11am: Working groups meeting and actions for the day.
This will be a practical meeting where all working groups come together to feedback and decide what’s next to keep the site running. Proposed points to discuss are organising the site, media, community outreach and legal issues. New people are very welcome! We currently have the following groups: media, safer spaces, site, events, legal, strategy and food.

3-4,30pm: General Meeting.
This is where we all decide about the future of 6 Grosvenor Mount. There will be dreaming and planning of the future and hopefully our Food Team will provide us with something to eat!

Please come along and be part of LCP!!

On 4th March 2015 Leeds Community project (LCP) re-occupied the non-residential areas of 6 Grosvenor Mount, LS6, after an unlawful eviction. We aim to continue to open up the space for the local community, and to facilitate discussions around how the unique infrastructures, including the glasshouses and garden, can be used to benefit the communities of Leeds beyond private housing.

The former University of Leeds research site, a unique space of nearly one acre, contains seven glasshouses and many established plants, including rare species. It now holds many future possibilities for sustainable food growing and can be envisioned as a space for education and social events, as well as a space for nature and wildlife. Since its closure in 2011, North Hyde Park Residents Association tried to designate 6 Grosvenor Mount as a ‘community asset’ and took this to Leeds City Council in an attempt to halt plans. The designation was not successful because the Council argued that the space was not being utilised by the local community. However, use of the space by the local community has not been possible due to the site being closed off. There have also been attempts by several individuals, including students, to communicate with Leeds University to prevent the sale for private investment and to open the space for community benefit, but the university has not continued discussions.

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Forced gate

Security Staff on site

Security Staff on site

After the unlawful eviction on 19^th February and the release without charge of the three members who were arrested, our legal working group has been in touch with external legal advisers to explore our options, and is now working on taking legal actions against the University.

We are certain that the University Security Staff committed an offence by violently breaking entry to the site. The Security Staff forced the front gate open, breaking the wood that LCP had been using to secure the door (see photo). This violated section 6 of the Criminal Law Act 1977 which makes it a criminal offence to secure entry to a property by force when someone is present who is opposed to that entry.

The LCP members present made it extremely clear that the security was not welcome. However, the security disregarded the law and continued to intimidate us. The police was then called by LCP members to remove the University Security Staff. The security, uncomfortable in their legal position on site, left and intercepted the police. Despite being called to investigate the criminal offence, the police arrested three members on suspicion of stealing electricity. All of them were released on the same day without charge after we provided evidence of our electricity account. We strongly reject the police’s failure to defend the rights of LCP by allying with the University Security Staff, to remove the three LCP members on site through arrest and then regain possession themselves.

Given these circumstances and the gathered evidence, we are confident in putting together a strong case against both the University and the Police in the near future.

A second article about the Leeds Community Project has appeared in this week’s edition of the Leeds University newspaper “The Gryphon”. The online version can be read here.

On Thursday 19^th February the Leeds Community Project (LCP) was threatened with charges of trespassing despite their legal occupation of 6 Grosvenor Mount. These are our understandings of today’s events.

This morning, and for the third time, Leeds University security staff illegally entered the site and in response to this the LCP contacted the police for their removal. Upon arrival, rather than addressing the breach of section 6 (Criminal Law Act 1977) by the University’s security staff, the police arrested the LCP members on suspicion of theft of electricity. These were wrongful arrests as LCP had accounts set-up in order to pay for the electricity. As a result of the arrests the site was no longer occupied by LCP and the university was able to reclaim it. Other members of LCP arrived soon after and were threatened with detainment for trespassing. Given this ultimatum, LCP members chose to leave to avoid any further arrests.

We are working hard to ensure the detained LCP members are released as soon as possible. LCP is exploring its legal options regarding the unlawful and unjust eviction that occurred today and is committed to continuing its resistance to the development of 6 Grosvenor Mount.

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Our General Meeting will still be happening on Saturday at 3pm at the Chunk (275 Meanwood Road, LS7 2JD) Please come along to support the project!

We would like to thank the Real Junk Food Project for their support and tasty food. They are providing food for us for the next week, so please drop by and try some! We welcome donations for food and for things we need on site.

The Real Junk Food Project is a pioneering movement with an overarching aim of putting itself out of existence by abolishing avoidable food waste. It is a rapidly growing organic movement of 100% food surplus Pay As You Feel cafés.