Park cafe and jungle classroom plan approved

A park visitor centre is set to be redeveloped after dozens of people expressed support for the scheme.

Plans have been put forward to turn the disused glasshouse at Pudsey Park into a cafe and tropical-themed classroom.

Junglebox Ltd applied to Leeds City Council for planning permission for the scheme.

A planning officer's report said no objections were received to the application and 69 letters of support were sent in.

One supporter wrote: "Pudsey needs this attraction and the buildings have been empty and disused for too long."

Others said the new centre would boost facilities at the park for children and families.

Another said: "The greenhouse is currently an eyesore and needs restoring."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council said the development would not affect people living nearby, or the Pudsey Conservation Area.

The report said: "Overall this work will enhance the appearance of the building and is therefore considered acceptable in this conservation area location."

A design report by Junglebox said visitors to the new centre would feel the experience of a rainforest.

It said: "The smells, the humid heat, the sights and sounds all transport you to another world."

A central clearing in the new facility would serve as a dedicated teaching space, the report said.

It said: "Students will learn about the complexity of ecosystems and the importance of biodiversity in the most impactful way possible, through first-hand experience."

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