Hunslet - Hunslet Grange (Leek Street Flats)

Hunslet Grange (Leek Street Flats)

Hunslet's redevelopment in the 1960s was notable for the construction of the Hunslet Grange (usually known as 'Leek Street Flats'). Construction of the 350 flats started in 1968 following a widespread slum clearance project in the area. The complex was commissioned by Leeds City Council and built by Shepherd Construction, in a maisonette style with so-called 'streets in the sky' and overhead walkways connecting blocks. The exterior of the buildings were pale grey pebbledashed concrete. Each floor had a rubbish disposal chute leading to huge bins at street level. Hidden in the complex on the second floor were shops and a pub. Twelve of the blocks were six storeys in height and six were of seven, with the entrance on the second floor. The estate covered a large area of Hunslet and was arranged in three clusters around a small park.

The individual flats had large windows and were spacious and light, and were very popular with their new tenants. However, the popularity was short-lived: the heating systems were inadequate for the poorly insulated concrete prefabricated buildings, the interiors suffered from condensation, and the exterior walls became streaked with black. In addition, the 'rabbit-warren' layout made the estate hard to navigate and, within a few years, even harder to police.

Demolition of the complex started in 1983, less than fifteen years after the first tenants moved in, to be replaced with low rise council housing, which was completed in the late 1980s.