Golden Triangle (Yorkshire)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A map with a broad boundary of the Golden Triangle (click to expand)
Leeds's affluent district of Roundhay, lies within the area.
Wetherby is situated at the approximate centre of the triangle.
Harrogate is situated to the far north of the triangle.

The Golden Triangle is a term commonly used by

Hallfields. The most expensive street in the golden triangle is Fulwith Mill Lane on the South Side of Harrogate, where the average house price is £1.7 million.[1]

Boundaries

The exact boundaries are disputed, in particular around north Leeds, but the

Cross Gates and Garforth but not Seacroft, this definition is supported by Leeds City Council. Affluent areas such as Roundhay and Gledhow lie within the confines of the ring road, but are usually included in the area. To the north, the town of Knaresborough
would also lie within the boundaries of the golden triangle.

Usage

The term is mostly applied by estate agents, however, it has been used by local councils within this area and also by the local media. Publications such as the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Wetherby News and the Harrogate Advertiser have used the term on many occasions.

Demography

While there have been no studies into the demography of the area as a whole. Census studies in the areas within the 'triangle', show most parts of the area have a predominantly white demographic. This remains constant irrespective of the social demographic.

The social demographic does however vary throughout the area. Swarcliffe for with a population of 6,751, of which 4,544 were considered to be "hard-pressed", or experiencing financial difficulty.[2] Conversely Linton compromises almost exclusively wealthy professional residents.

Housing

Early-19th-century semis in Boston Spa.
York lies to the east
Pockets of urban decay exist within the triangle such as these flats (now demolished) in Swarcliffe.

With the exception of certain small pockets of the area, house prices have traditionally been high in the area, the price hikes in the area often being attributed to the economic growth in the commercial centre of Leeds. As a result, there has often been great demand to build housing in this area. In 2006,

recession of 2008 and 2009
.

The types of housing in this area vary greatly. Land scarcity and high demand have meant new developments are often of a dense nature. Recently, new proposals have been put forward to build on former green belt in this area. The building of housing on the 'Church Fields' site in

Shadwell
.

Economy

Much of the area is commuter belt for the commercial centre of Leeds which functions as a large financial and commercial centre. There are however other buoyant industries within this area such as tourism (mainly in York, but to an extent also in Leeds and Harrogate), manufacturing (which is prevalent to the east of Leeds as well as in Wetherby and Thorp Arch) and agriculture, which exists in various areas around the 'triangle'.

Tourism

Besides the city centres of York and Leeds as well as the town of Harrogate, there are attractions in the area which bring visitors to the area such as Roundhay Park, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, The Market Town of Knaresborough and racecourses in York and Wetherby.

Leeds and Harrogate also gain visitors due to their proximity to the Yorkshire Dales national park, while York does due to its proximity to the North York Moors national park. Within the golden triangle itself, Almscliffe Crag has proved popular with hikers.

Transport

The area has many road and rail transport links. The

Leeds Bradford International Airport
lies just to the west of the area.

Politics

The area does not contain any particularly safe seats for any political party. North Leeds and

Harrogate
is a Conservative-Liberal Democrat battleground.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Zoopla Stats". Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  2. ^ "2009 Population ACORN Profile" (PDF). CACI. 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  3. BBC
    . 27 August 2006. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  4. ^ Fletcher, Michelle (2011). "Leeds Housing Partnership - Regional Issues". Leeds Housing Partnership. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Leeds' golden housing boom". BBC News. 6 February 2002.
  6. ^ "Making It Work" (PDF). Harrogate.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  7. ^ "New homes in Boston Spa - Church Fields - New Homes by Taylor Wimpey". Taylorwimpey.co.uk. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Spofforth Hill homes plans go on show - Business". Wetherby News. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.