The UK is a densely populated country and full of large urban areas. As the decades have gone by, and these have grown in size, some distinct cities and towns have grown closer to each other and, to those unfamiliar with them, may look to be merging together. Leeds and Bradford in the north of England seem to be an example of this. Pudsey is a town to the west of the former that is technically within the the City of Leeds borough. According to Google, its western border is located just before Thornbury Veterinary Hospital, opposite the Al-Qudwa Institute.
Both of these places have Bradford postcodes, whereas Lala’s Restaurant in Pudsey, which, incidentally, says it is “in Leeds”, has a Leeds postcode. The town’s easternmost point is next to Twisty Trails in Post Hill just south of Hough End. Leeds’ westernmost point is at Calverley Lane just north of Farsley Recreation Ground, according to online maps. Farsley itself is a village in the Leeds district. Places like Rodley, Bramley and Armley are technically part of Leeds.
To the eye of someone who is not local, Pudsey and Farsley may seem simply to be parts of the city, and it seems, from looking at satellite images, that Leeds and Bradford are connected, bridged by a residential area of Pudsey south of Bradford Road.
A small wooded area separates Daleside Road in Pudsey and Thornbury Hospital and Grange Avenue in Bradford.
To the north, there are a few fields between Woodhall Lane, which is in Pudsey, and Thornbury, in Bradford.
According to online tools, Leeds and Bradford are around nine miles apart – the shortest distance between them being 8.31 miles.
Property site Zoopla says of Pudsey that it is located a short distance from both Leeds and Bradford, and boasts “small-town charm with the convenience of city access”.
It adds: “Living in Pudsey, you get to enjoy a tranquil and relaxed lifestyle while still being able to make the most of the urban benefits of Leeds, thanks to excellent transport links.”
The average asking price for a terraced house in the town is £220,000, experts say, and £462,500 for a detached property.
Sellers are advertising semi-detatched homes for around £290,000.
The prospect of Leeds and Bradford merging has been discussed online.
One person said on Reddit eight months ago: “As someone who lives in Leeds, I can tell you the border between us and Bradford is basically non-existent.
“When you drive west you just go from a Leeds suburb directly into a Bradford one. I don’t about us becoming a mega city, but as a region we’re very much interlinked.”
Another person suggested it has “kind of already happened”, and some named were proposed, such as “Ladford” and “Breeds”.
However, one account did not think the prospect was realistic. They said: “Definitely wouldn’t become a mega city they are way too different for that to work, with Bradford being a ghost town and Leeds being an actual functioning city.”