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Brudenell Road, one of the main roads through Hyde Park

Hyde Park is an inner-city area of north-west Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, situated between Leeds University and Headingley.

It is mainly in the Hyde Park & Woodhouse ward, though some areas of what is often considered to be Hyde Park lie within the Headingley Ward. It is also the local name for Woodhouse moor which is a wooded moor between Woodhouse Lane and Hyde Park Road. The area is in the centre of the city's student community and has a laid-back, bohemian atmosphere. Being next to Headingley, a large student community, Hyde Park is now an established alternative student district. Alongside the students it also has a sizable South Asian community.

The area contains two mosques and alongside outlets primarily catering for the student population there remain a number of smaller shops selling largely traditional South Asian goods. This arguably lessens the impact of studentification, though some community groups do consider this to be a problem and tension exists ^[1].

In July 2005, Hyde Park became the focus of international attention as police carried out a raid connected to the 7 July 2005 London bombings. Officers used a controlled explosion to enter a property at 28 Alexandra Grove, situated roughly where the Hyde Park and Burley areas meet^[2]. Hundreds of local residents were evacuated as police searched the house, one of six in West Yorkshire to be raided that day. Despite media speculation the house had allegedly been used as a 'bomb factory' by the suicide bombers, police later said they found no explosives in the property.

The area suffers considerable social deprivation including high unemployment, bad housing stock and a high crime rate^[3]. In July 1995 the area suffered serious rioting after the taking over of a local pub, The Newlands, by the police to be used in surveillance ^[4]. The local community rallied and created Unity Day^[5] a popular community festival started by the Hyde Park Residents Association held on the moor, usually in August.

Hyde Park is the home of the Hyde Park Picture House, one of the finest examples of an independent, historic, art house cinema in the UK. It also is home to the Hyde Park Social Club , a members-only pub popular with students and those involved in the local music scene. The Royal Park, on Queen's Road, is a large pub with a downstairs gig venue, popular with the student population, and next door stands the Brudenell Social Club where famous DJ's such as the Morning Hormones have entertained students, it is a members club which has recently taken on a new role as one of the most popular venues for local and underground music. The area has several independent business, such as Popinas bistro and Moorish, a popular north African restaurant. In addition, Hyde Park is home to many student house and street parties.

Chestnut Avenue in Hyde Park was the subject of many articles in 2001/02, including one in the Daily Mail asking Is this the most burgled street in Britain?^[6]. This is not shown in the police statistics ^[7] but the high student population with many valuable items in their houses are a common target for criminals. In fact, references to its being, 'The most-burgled street in Britain' go back as far as at least 1994.

1. ^ List of local residents groups concerned with Landlordism and Studentification from the Heal HeadingleyWebsite
2. ^ BBC News coverage of the suspected 'bomb factory
3. ^ Leeds statistics, area statistics for Burley/Hyde Park in pdf format
4. ^ Davis, Nick Dark Heart: The Shocking Truth About Hidden Britain, Vintage ISBN 0-09-958301-1
5. ^ Unity Day a festival held in Hyde Park
6. ^ Heal Headingley National Newspapers Archive 22.5.02
7. ^ Labour website, "Chestnut Avenue has been previously reported as ‘most burgled street In Britain’. Although this is disputed by police"