History of Hunslet - 1960s

1960s

Hunslet's redevelopment in the late 1960s was perhaps most notable for the construction of the Hunslet Grange Flats, usually called informally the Leek Street Flats. Construction of the 2,500 flats started in 1968 following a widespread slum clearance project in the area. The flats were commissioned by Leeds City Council and constructed by Shepherd Building Group. The flats were built as a large complex, sprawling over much of Hunslet. While the flats enjoyed a degree of popularity in their first few years, this did not last, the layout of the complex and severe condensation lead to them being attributed to many health and social problems in the area, and only 13 years after construction began, in 1983, the council began to demolish the complex.

The 1960s also saw the M1 Motorway come to Hunslet, since the rerouting of the M1 around the East of Leeds taking it to the A1(M) at Aberford, the Hunslet stretch of the former M1 is now part of the M621.