Colton, Leeds

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Colton is a district of east Leeds, situated between Cross Gates to the north, Halton and Halton Moor to the west, Whitkirk to the north-west, and Austhorpe to the north-east.

Colton once suffered social problems of crime and anti-social behavior [1][2], and although crime has significantly decreased, problems still exist in the district[3]. As a result, an increased police presence has been put into place in Colton and the surrounding areas.

Colton has a cricket club at the centre of the area, with a bar, a large cricket pitch, two tennis courts, and a football pitch. Being situated next to Temple Newsam, there are two small farms in the area, though much of the open land has being built upon, so it has since developed into a much more urban district.

It is mainly comprised of cul-de-sacs, and housing ranges from detached houses, semi-detached houses, and terraced houses. The name Colton translates into old english as Coal Town. The area is 4 miles to the east of Leeds City Centre, and is close to the A63 dual carriageway and M1 motorway. Colton is also the area of Leeds where the Leeds Outer Ring Road terminates.

[edit] Old Colton Road

Colton Road is a derelict road running through the west of the area into Whitkirk. It joins onto Selby Road, though it has been closed from the edge of Colton and Whitkirk, to Meynell Road, where it terminates in the centre of the estate. It is locally referred to as The Old Road and can be a dangerous place at night.

[edit] Comparison

Colton lies in the LS15 postcode area. Here is a population breakdown of the postcode area in comparison with the UK population.

Category	LS15	UK average
Population density (people / sq mi)	43.2	24.9
Gender split (females / male)	1.05	1.05
Average commute	6.1 miles	8.73 miles
Average age	38	39
Home ownership	16%	16.9%
Student population	2.4%	4.4%
People in good health	69%	69%