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Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Families in a village that has already doubled in size protest against further 300 homes earmarked for the area
Residents in a village which has already doubled in size due to new housing are rallying together to protest against a further 300 new homes being built. Locals in Wharncliffe Side, Sheffield, say they are 'traumatised' at the prospect of hundreds of homes being built on their green belt land. The former farm village - which has an average house price of £318,939 - has a population of around 1,335 but over 1,000 new homes have been erected nearby in recent years. Residents say the village infrastructure cannot cope with more new properties and earlier this month hundreds of locals rallied to protest against the plans. Lead protester David Thornton, 62, says developers decided against building on the land 30 years ago, so he cannot understand why it is being considered now. He said: 'We've already had 1,000 or so houses built in this area. The whole community is traumatised by this whole idea. 'They looked at doing this 30 years ago and decided it wasn't viable and it's no different now. We don't have the access and certain parts of the land can't be built on because of drainage and flooding. 'There's all sorts of wildlife that have lived here for 50 or 60 years, like bats and badgers and butterflies.' Lead protester David Thornton (pictured) says developers decided against building on the land 30 years ago, so he cannot understand why it is being considered now Mr Thornton says the field is 'very important' to the local community and believes the residents will miss being able to use it. He added: 'It's used by the community. I live close to it and I'm very fortunate. I get the chance to see all the other local residents who use the space. 'Some of the older people who live in the village and some of the children are really, really upset that they might lose their field. 'It's very important to us. It's a unique and special space.' There are currently plans for more than 3,500 homes to be built on green belt land across the city and on Wednesday, May 14, Sheffield City Council held a meeting to decide if the properties should be constructed. The council voted to 'agree that exceptional circumstances now exist to justify the release of greenfield land in green belt for new development.' At the meeting, several local residents said they were concerned that the proposed plans will affect the wildlife in the local area. Jane Williams said: 'It is not a piece of wasteland but an area of nature. We are at a critical point in climate change, things have to be protected. 'How can Sheffield City Council justify using this particular piece of land when it is so rich, environmentally? 'Why more houses being built in Wharncliffe Side and the Deepcar area, in addition to the 1,000 houses being built or under construction? 'Why has there been no improvements to public transport? 'If this goes ahead, will Sheffield City Council ensure us that if this goes ahead, then any application to develop this land will be subject to the usual planning permissions?' Rebecca Johnston said: 'This is a unique, ecological site that is full of diverse species including badgers, newts and owls to name a few. 'How does the reclassification of green belt fit in with Sheffield City Council's ecological policy? 'The field absorbs a lot of water and prevents flooding from the river - how does this fit in with the flood management policy? 'The field provides exercise space that benefits residents' mental health - how does the policy fit in with the wider mental health strategy?'
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sheffield Local Plan gives go-ahead to homes on green belt
Controversial plans to build on fourteen green belt sites across Sheffield have been approved by of residents had objected to plans to build 3,500 homes, as well as schools, cemeteries and industrial units on green belt land across the Wednesday, crowd of protesters gathered outside Sheffield town hall ahead of a special meeting to approve the Local Plan, a blueprint for how the city will be developed over the next 15 years."Residents are furious - we have 160 angry, worried and upset villagers," said campaigner, David Thornton, from Wharncliffe Side. The Wharncliffe Side campaigners are protesting plans to build more than 100 houses on a field in their Thornton said: "Almost 1,000 houses have already been built nearby, and our village infrastructure is just not capable of coping with this huge growth."This field has been a popular public space for as long as people can remember, in the oldest part of the village, and is treasured by everyone who uses it."Government inspectors said the council would need to build 3,529 additional new homes above its initial target – meaning more than 38,000 homes need to be constructed by council said it had explored all available opportunities to develop brownfield sites ahead of submitting the new Liberal Democrats and Green Party councillors had all identified sites and worked together on the plan, but the Lib Dems subsequently voted against it. Council leader Tom Hunt said: "This is emotive, and I understand the depth of feeling. None of us take this lightly."The sites must have affordable homes, and we will ensure there is good public transport, road improvements, schools and GP surgeries. The sites must also have good access to green spaces."Green Party Leader and chair of the housing committee, Douglas Johnson, said if councillors had rejected the Local Plan, it could have led to even more building."Sheffield's current Local Plan is extremely out of date and is made up of documents produced in 1998 and 2009. This leaves lots of loopholes open for developers to exploit."Without a new Local Plan, ultimately the government could step in and set its own plan, which would be much worse for the city."There will be a public consultation over summer and public hearings in autumn. Any developments would still need to go through the planning process. The 14 green belt sites Land between Bramley Lane and Beaver Hill Road - 868 homes, a mainstream secondary school and a multi-faith burial siteLand between Creswick Avenue and Yew Lane - 609 homes, a mainstream secondary school, a special needs school and a multi-faith burial siteHandsworth Hall Farm, land at Finchwell Road - 870 homesLand to the east of Chapeltown Road - 549 HomesLand to the south of White Lane - 304 homesLand between Lodge Moor Road and Redmires conduit - 258 homesHolme Lane Farm and land to the west of Grenoside Grange, Fox Hill Road - 188 HomesLand between Storth Lane and School Lane - 103 homesLand at Wheel Lane and Middleton Lane - 148 homesLand to the north of Parkers Lane - 82 homesForge Lane - 69 homesLand bordered by M1, Thorncliffe Road, Warren Lane, and White Lane - general employmentHesley Wood, north of Cowley Hill, S35 2YH - general employmentLand to the south of the M1 Motorway Junction 35 - general employment Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
