In March I visited Zenith, a local business who were the first to move into the offices at Kirkstall Forge Station.

I thoroughly enjoyed my tour around Zenith’s premises, and am delighted that being located at Kirkstall Forge has been a very positive experience for the company. I met with Zenith’s CEO, who described to me their operations and their plans to utilise the full potential of the Kirkstall Forge site. It is clear that Zenith has benefited greatly from being at the Kirkstall Forge site. Zenith has further emphasised sustainability in their business, as Kirkstall Forge has itself, and I am pleased that this will continue.

I look forward to seeing Zenith thrive, and am glad that Kirkstall Forge is continuing to grow and to support local businesses. The Kirkstall Forge site is clearly boosting Kirkstall’s economy, and is helping to keep successful local businesses in the area.

Armley is due to benefit from a £2 million affordable homes development by Unity Homes, which will be completed in September 2018.

I viewed with interest the construction work at the former Ancestor Pub site on Armley Ridge Road, which has gathered pace over the last month. These houses and flats will provide vital affordable housing for residents, and will help to meet the high demand for housing within Leeds West.

I recently visited the building site, and enjoyed learning about Unity Homes’ plans for the site, as well as meeting budding Environmental Engineers from Leeds Beckett University. It is great that Unity Homes as a company are investing in our local communities in this way, and also investing in our city’s large student population.

It is only right that derelict sites in Armley are being redeveloped, which should facilitate future investment into the town. This £2 million development will benefit local residents and provide much-needed affordable homes, which will continue to help Armley’s regeneration. I am pleased to see so much effort going into redeveloping Armley, and will assist companies and the local community in any way I can.

I look forward to seeing the end result of this construction in September!

Northern Rail have recently announced that they will be increasing the number of services per hour at Kirkstall Forge Station from May. This is great news!

I have been campaigning for more frequent services at Kirkstall Forge since the station opened in 2016, and am pleased that the number of services has doubled to two services per hour running to and from Leeds. I have been in regular discussion with Northern Rail and have also raised this issue in Parliament, and am pleased that ministers and Northern Rail have listened and accepted that there is significant demand for these new services.

Prior to the announcement in March, the frequency of services at Kirkstall Forge were unacceptable given the popularity of the station. This increase in services will make it easier for people to get to Kirkstall, Bradford and beyond. I hope this will also help to connect Leeds West to the wider city and region, as well as boost Kirkstall’s own economy.

Whilst I recognise that there is an ever-increasing demand on rail services, I hope that Northern Rail will continue to unlock Kirkstall Forge’s potential by further increasing services, and I look forward to working with the company to ensure this.