TENANTS of 70 former miners’ homes in Leeds have won a massive victory against a property developer who wanted to demolish the properties to make way for a luxury housing estate.

For two-and-a-half years the tenants of the houses at Oulton outside Leeds have lived with stress and uncertainty — but last night they were celebrating after Leeds City Council’s Planning Panel unanimously refused permission for the Pemberstone development.

The houses are in the LS26 postcode district and the tenants formed the “saveourhomesLS26” campaign supported by Leeds Hands Off Our Homes group and more recently by housing campaign group Acorn Leeds. They were also backed by the National Union of Mineworkers.