The LS6 postcode, covering Hyde Park and Headingley, received the highest number of noise complaints in Leeds earlier this year, but what is being done to solve this now the student population have returned?
It's officially fresher's season.
Not just for the first year students at University, but for second year students that had their first year restricted by Covid-19 regulations; third year students that were left studying online throughout the pandemic without a chance to socialise and the Master students that get their chance to finally party like they did in pre-Covid era.
Or at least to many residents, this is how it appears in Hyde Park.
Many residents that live in areas such as Hyde Park have spoken out over the weekend about how they are tired of the noisy house parties and constant chaos on their streets.
Hyde Park is known in Leeds as an area popular with students. Image: Sugar House
Reports of car windows being smashed, 72 hour parties and a constant stream of celebrations that eat into the early hours are just some of the issues that local residents have spoken about in recent weeks.
At present, the LS6 postcode has the highest number of noise nuisance complaints in Leeds: collecting 1,892 complaints in the first six months of the year. These figures were also collected during various states of lockdown, when many students opted to stay at home and could not return to their accomodation after the Christmas holiday period until restrictions eased.
Given legal limits on house parties or club opening times may have reduced the noise complaints in the spring, these figures should only increase in the latter half of the year.
The LS6 postcode hosts a mixture of students, families and working professionals of all ages and although there is no evidence to suggest that it is entirely the student population that have caused this high number of nuisance complaints, those that have spoken out about the issue appear to believe that it is this population causing the predominant issues.
"There have been numerous complaints about antisocial behaviour in the area, which have spanned several years and are not limited to one household or one set of tenants. The transient nature of the student population of Hyde Park and Headingley means that turnover is high and single actions against households is not likely to stop the problem in the longer term."
The MP for Leeds North West also noted that "it is important to note that the vast majority of students are good neighbours, respectful and contributors to our area. That said, we know that a small minority can cause major distress, both for long term residents and for other students."
The plans to minimise this have included the introduction of an 'enhanced service' from the anti-social behaviour teams working in the LS6 postcode and both "Leeds Beckett University and the University of Leeds have confirmed long term funding which includes the “pre-fresher” period (June-September)".
Members of the public are invited to give their perspective on the matter by emailing Alex Sowel, but if immediate action is required to deal with a noise nuisance past 6pm, there is a dedicated hotline to speak to the dedicated anti-social behaviour team.
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Leeds Tattoo Expo to return to the First Direct Arena for 10th anniversary
Clementine Hall
The tenth annual Leeds Tattoo Expo will showcase some of the best in tattooing both local and internationally.
If you fancy getting yourself a fancy new bit of ink, then look no further than the iconic Leeds Tattoo Expo that will be returning to the First Direct Arena this June.
Taking place on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025, over 200 tattooists and 70 traders will be flocking to the city to show off their skills.
And not only that, but there’ll also be a whole host of market traders for you to browse as well as live music to have a boogie to.
The artists will be tattooing with options for both pre-booked appointments and walk ups available throughout the weekend.
Image: Leeds Tattoo Expo
There will also be a piercer, tooth gems and a henna artist ready to adorn your body.
Alongside getting tattooed, there’s plenty to do and to see over the whole weekend; there'll be an alternative drawing class, an illustrators market with kids’ workshops provided by Art Gecko, an art fusion event on the main stage, burlesque performances and competitions, a small vintage clothing pop-up, fire breathing and break dancing demonstrations in the square outside the arena.
The annual tattoo competitions will also be taking place each evening, where tattooists showcase their work to a panel of judges, sponsored by Killer Ink!
To celebrate Leeds Tattoo Expo's tenth anniversary, they'll be hosting a Pre-Party at Belgrave Music Hall on Thursday 5 June which is a completely free entry event complete with live music and free pizza.
You can find out more about the event and book your tickets here via the First Direct Arena's website.
Sophie Smith -
11th October 2021 
