“No one in power listens” – the mother’s fear of the impact on her seriously ill son

By John Baron

A Pudsey mother had made a desperate plea to protect her son from the serious risk to her son’s life of a housing estate being built yards from her home.

Emma Thornton fears dust from building 50 new affordable homes and four flats on new land off Owlcotes Road could prove fatal for her struggling six-year-old son George with a rare form of cancer – adrenocortical carcinoma – since September 2019.

Leeds Federated Housing’s detailed plans were approved in principle last year and proposed amendments to the scheme are due to be debated by councilors tomorrow – but Miss Thornton fears the decision to build the homes could have serious consequences for her family.

Miss Thornton said: “We asked developers Leeds Federated Housing to move the two houses closest to us away from our house but they refused – we are not against them building social housing on the site. I asked if they could move us to one of their properties during construction just to protect George, but they refused.

“What can I do to protect my son? No one in power listens. George is immune compromised and life itself poses many risks for him. We don’t even dare to take him to indoor play areas because of the high risk of infection from other children.

“George has undergone several major operations to remove tumors over the past four years. He has only one kidney, no adrenal glands, half of his liver and gallbladder have been removed, and he has adrenal insufficiency (a life-threatening condition) due to a lack of adrenal function. George has reduced lung capacity due to double lung surgery to remove tumors from both lungs.

“George is still fighting every day for life. He takes chemotherapy twice a day, along with a long list of drugs to keep him alive, drugs to help keep him from harm, some to balance his blood pressure, some to replace his lack of adrenal function and every day is a balancing act of risk and life. But it is one that we LIVE.”

Miss Thornton says George’s condition is palliative but says the development would “put her son’s life at risk” if building work goes ahead.

“We know that the advice given to children receiving chemotherapy is to avoid construction dust as it can contain fungal, viral and bacterial spores as they are susceptible to life-threatening infections from dust particles,” she added.

“Yet Leeds City Council and Leeds Federated Housing are prepared to put our son’s life at risk if the plans go just meters from our border, despite receiving medical and professional evidence that this poses a risk to life to George.”

Counselor concern

Her concerns are supported by Councilor Andrew Carter (Cons, Calverley & Farsley). He said: “This is one of the most heartbreaking cases I have ever dealt with as a councilor – it is a horrific situation.

“No one can argue against the need for more social housing. But the gable end of one of the rows will dominate this little boy’s garden space, which is his refuge. It could also put his life in danger. In the last two years we have asked for two pitches to be removed but Leeds Federated have refused.

“Planning officers can tell us about policies and the like. But councilors have a duty of care to residents living in Owlcotes Road. That includes little George. Tomorrow’s planning committee members must tell Leeds Federated that. Tomorrow is a big test for the planning department and planning committee members. That’s on their head. I will continue to do everything I can to support Emma and her family. We need to put people before policies, bureaucracy and red tape.”

The response from Leeds Federated

A spokesman for Leeds Federated Housing said: “We are deeply sympathetic to the needs of Miss Thornton and of course her son George and have adapted the planned development in Owlcotes in response to their concerns.

“The original planning permission for new homes at Owlcotes was granted in September 2021 to provide a maximum of 77 new homes on the site, which has been substantially reduced to just 54.

“We have moved a number of plots to provide a significantly greater separation distance than normal planning standards; and a 3m deep landscaped buffer strip is proposed behind their house to provide more privacy.

“We have appointed Spire Environmental Consultants to carry out a dust assessment for the planned construction. Their assessment is that the potential for dust impact is of negligible risk. However, we have plans in place to implement a number of dust control measures should a dust event occur.

“We considered whether providing an alternative place to live for the family during construction was useful, but we concluded that it was not something we could provide and we were also concerned that it would be extremely disruptive to the family. As you would expect, local housing need means we have no empty properties in the local area.

“As a non-profit homebuilder that will own and manage the homes once built, we will always prioritize the needs of our neighbors during the construction phase of any project.”

Panel discussion

Proposals to be discussed by councilors tomorrow include landscaping, layout and design. It also provides ways to filter dust from neighboring properties, including the use of sprinklers that are automatically triggered by dust, means of monitoring dust particles, and other dust suppression measures. Development will not be allowed to begin before January 1, 2025.

A council report says the development exceeds minimum distance standards for properties.

A council planning officer’s report concludes: “The proposal is consistent with the existing allocations of the site and has been given very significant weight in the consideration of the outline application. This is such that the proposals herein present reserved matters of layout, landscaping, layout and scale for consideration and determination by members.

“The personal circumstances and family sensitivities which were the subject of the equality impact assessment were carefully and fully considered by this application and, as described in this report, the scheme has been amended and further mitigation measures proposed , to reduce the impact. of this development on this family.”

Agenda and council papers for next Thursday’s Leeds Civic Hall meeting (1.30pm) can be read here.

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