Locate in Leeds  - Quality of Life

Housing

The landscape of Leeds and the surrounding city region is rich and varied, providing residents with a wide choice of living environments. Increasing numbers of young professionals are opting for city centre living, while others choose from a range of suburban and rural settings.

Within a few miles of the centre, the city opens out to a landscape of open countryside and numerous small townships and villages, which provide traditional Victorian and Edwardian villas, quaint country cottages on the edge of the Dales and modern houses on family-oriented estates. House prices in Leeds compare favourably with other areas of the UK. The average semi-detached house in Leeds sells for £139,315, less than half the price of the equivalent property in London (Land Registry, May 2011).

There is an extensive network of bus services throughout the city with the average distance from house to bus route being less than 200 metres.

Education

There are 262 state schools in Leeds catering for over 109,000 pupils, making the city the second largest provider of education in England. Leeds is committed to improving the quality and range of education by promoting equal opportunities, raising standards, building schools for the twenty first century, encouraging parental and pupil involvement, harnessing new technologies and linking with industry. In Leeds and the surrounding districts there is also an extensive choice of independent preparatory and senior schools.

87% of 16 year olds in Leeds continue in education or training after compulsory education.

April 2009 saw the merger of Leeds College of Technology, Leeds Thomas Danby and Park Lane College to form Leeds City College, one of the largest colleges in the country with 60,000 students and an annual turnover of £70 million. Leeds City Region is home to 6 universities, 2 university colleges and 2 colleges of higher education.

Culture

The cultural, historical and architectural heritage of Leeds is well represented by the city`s museums, stately homes and art galleries, from the national attractions of the Royal Armouries and Thackray Museum to the fine stately homes of Harewood House and Temple Newsam.

Leeds has a full calendar of events, from open air public entertainment - including Opera in the Park and Party in the Park - to prestigious work by Opera North, Phoenix Dance, Northern Ballet and West Yorkshire Playhouse. Leeds International Film festival is a showcase for contemporary filmmakers around the world, with more than 200 screenings, including world premieres.

Leeds city centre has over 1,000 shops and an extensive choice of places to eat, drink and relax, with a unique combination of covered arcades, award winning restaurants, Victorian pubs and fashionable wine bars.

Recreational Activities

Millions of people visit Leeds City Region every year, drawn by its unique combination of visitor attractions, its heritage and areas of outstanding natural beauty. Over two thirds of the Leeds district is open space, public parks, gardens and green belt.

There are excellent sporting facilities in Leeds, for both the spectator and the participant: Elland Road is home to Leeds United FC; international cricket and rugby can be seen at Headingley; Wetherby hosts top class horseracing. Olympic standard swimming and diving facilities can be found at the John Charles Centre for Sport, together with tennis, athletics and indoor bowling facilities.

There are 21 golf courses in Leeds, ranging from exclusive clubs to pay and play courses. Xscape, located at junction 32 of the M62 motorway has one of the country`s largest indoor ski slopes.

Alternative Energy / Environmental Issues

Leeds is one of the greenest cities in Europe with green belt land covering over two-thirds of its total area.

The Cleaner, Greener, Leeds campaign is a people-led campaign to improve the cleanliness of Leeds by enabling schools and community groups to take part in improving their local environment, to create a sense of ownership and pride.

Leeds` recycling rate has increased by over 15% in three years to 31% (nearly 1/3 of household waste). Garden waste is collected from 180,000 homes in and sent for composting instead of going to landfill. Trials are currently underway for a food waste collection service to reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill.

Businesses and developers are conscious of the need to reduce their environmental footprint. A number of new office developments in Leeds have achieved BREEAM ˜excellent` rating, which means they are built to the highest environmental standards.