We wander down a Cross Gates road in an area described as up-and-coming according to the latest census data.
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00:00 [sound of traffic]
00:04 Osthorpe Road, situated in the Crossgates area of Leeds, is home to many homes, a large variety of businesses and a park.
00:12 The road was built in 1804 when Crossgates consisted of just 16 cottages,
00:18 and it was built near a gate which crossed the road, leading from Whitkirk to Seacroft.
00:24 At the eastern end of the road, the Barnbow pub and restaurants can be found, and the Barnbow name is also reflected in nearby Manston Park.
00:33 There's information here about the World War I munitions factory, the Barnbow Lasses, and the devastating shell-filling factory explosion of 1916.
00:44 There's a vast array of businesses and services further along the road, and in terms of housing prices,
00:50 a quick online search suggests a five-bed terraced house which sold for £220,000 in 2016, sold for £347,000 in 2022.
01:02 Further along, a one-bed terraced house costing £60,000 in 1996, increased to £200,000 in 2018.
01:11 Data from the most recent census suggest that deprivation has fallen here, but what do passers-by make of the road and the area?
01:19 I moved to Crossgates about a year ago. We chose this area because of the travel links with the train and the buses to get into Leeds City Centre.
01:27 It was quite quick and easy, and we were lucky enough to secure a house just opposite the park down the road, and it's just beautiful to look at.
01:34 It's a bit of a community spirit. Obviously, we were new to the area, so there was a light switch on, and it was really children-focused, which was really nice.
01:42 I like that I've got a dog and that I can take the dog into the main shopping centre and to a local cafe unique, which is really, really nice.
01:49 We've been really welcomed. I'm part of the LGBT community. I feel very safe to be in this area.
01:56 We use the shopping centre quite a lot rather than go into the main supermarkets to try and encourage independent businesses.
02:01 I work down at Killenbeck, but I live around this area. I have done for the last 15 years.
02:07 It's a nice area, nice shopping centre. You can get everything you want. You've got banks, you've got everything.
02:16 It's just a nice community because everybody around here, because you go in town, they're all closing like these.
02:23 They're opening new shops, and it's just nice for old people, nice for everybody because you've got young kids and all.
02:31 I live in Swarthcliffe, not too far from Crossgate. This is a convenient place that I come to do my banking, do my shopping.
02:41 I just like it because it's a walking distance, so I get to exercise, just relax, come and meet some familiar faces.
02:51 Also, just to have things that I can get besides going to the city centre.
02:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]