Who owns the small, overgrown Sparrow Park off Cardigan Road in Headingley?

And as this green oasis in an area of dense housing as grown more untidy, councillors keen to see it improved have searched in vain to identify the owners.

Now the council is preparing to bring the mystery to a close - thanks to a compulsory purchase order.
It intends to use its legal powers to assume ownership of the park and then carry out an improvement scheme.

Coun James Monaghan (Lib Dem, Headingley) said: "This has been an issue that's been going on for longer than most people can remember.
"As councillors for the area, me and my colleagues have often been asked what is going on with the land. It has taken an age to get to this position where we could have a solution.


"We and our predecessors spent a long time trying to trace the owners. It looks like it is over 100 years since it was in private ownership.
"There were a lot of large Victorian villas in the area and perhaps it just got chopped off of one of those in an earlier scheme and simply got forgotten about."

Coun Monaghan said the council would go through the necessary procedures to take over the park and set aside the necessary amount of cash needed to purchase it should someone come forward and prove they are the rightful owners.

He said if nobody came forward within two years, the council would keep its money.

Coun Monaghan said: "Members of South Headingley Community Association
went in many years ago to tidy up the land but since then nothing has happened.

"It has the potential to be a really attractive pocket part which would benefit the community."

Display boards have been produced showing a number of options on how the park could be improved. These will be on display in Headingley Library between June 9-16.

There will also be a leaflet including a feedback form so that residents can comment on the improvements they would like to see undertaken at Sparrow Park.