Latest news with #SheffieldCityCouncil
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Council accused of creating 'serious hazard' at Graves Park
A park group has accused a council of creating a "serious health and safety hazard" by storing waste, including dog mess, at a disused plant Friends of Graves Park say Sheffield City Council's use of the former Norton Nurseries site is "unacceptable and illegal" and that the authority has ignored its requests to a letter to the council, Caroline Dewar, said: "The stench has been incredibly bad during the recent hot weather [and] has to be tolerated by local residents, passers-by, and people working on the site."Sheffield City Council, which will hear an application to licence the site until November later this week, said it had been looking for another site for its depot operations. Graves Park is owned by a charitable trust, of which the council is sole to the Charities Act 2011 the use any use of charity-owned land must solely benefit the charity, and not the Friends of Graves Park is preparing to restore the area currently used as a "dumping ground" and turn it into a woodland has already completed restoration of two areas of the nursery site, creating a meadow wildlife area and the first section of an arboretum. In her letter, Ms Dewar said: "Waste, including dog dirt, is being collected from at least 35 other parks and open spaces and dumped at the site, to be sorted and collected at a later date."This is a serious health and safety hazard. We have been requesting that this unacceptable and illegal waste collection be stopped and more suitable alternatives be introduced with immediate effect, but our requests are ignored."We now expect this practice to be discontinued, irrespective of decisions about the depot operations." In her letter, which was sent to councillors and MP Louise Haigh, Ms Dewar also raised concerns that some documents had been withheld from public view at a council meeting in June, according to the Local Democracy Reporting council said: "The advice is legal advice in respect of how to best advise the trust. It was commissioned by the Monitoring Officer."It remains legally privileged so that the committee may understand it."A meeting of the council's charity committee on Wednesday will consider granting the depot a licence until the end of November.A long-term plan for the parks department depot is due to be considered in September. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Sheffield Council offers apology to more tree campaigners
Sheffield City Council has accepted an independent review's recommendation for a full apology for its "heavy-handed" legal threats against four tree 2017, several protestors were threatened with injunctions which would have stopped them from disrupting the council's controversial tree-felling programme, or encouraging others to do council issued a full apology for its failings over the scandal after an independent review in 2023, but the complaints of the four campaigners were not considered in that said it accepted the recommendations of the latest investigation "in full" and had issued apologies. The review said the council issued legal letters to some Sheffield residents setting out their intention to obtain injunctions preventing them from continuing to protest against its £2.2bn street improvement who received the letters were given the opportunity to agree to stop campaigning in terms set out by the authority as an alternative to not proceeding to court."In broad terms, it meant the complainants would not have to risk the granting of an injunction and the costs consequences for them personally of proceeding to a contested hearing in the High Court," the report new information about the scandal came to light in 2020 and 2021, the individuals made several complaints about the council's "intimidating" legal threats, which they said went "further than was reasonably necessary". 'Bunker mentality' Several complaints were upheld following the independent investigation by legal firm VWV that concluded in February, with its findings published ahead of a meeting on report described the legal basis against the complainants as "sound", but concluded the authority's action "was a result of the bunker mentality at the council at the time and the desire to 'get the job done'."It also labelled the authority's approach as "heavy-handed".It said the impact on the complainants "cannot be underestimated" and criticised the delay."The handling of the complaints means there are four residents who have been let down," the report added."It will not be enough to simply apologise again."The council admitted the process had "taken longer than necessary, and an external investigator should have been commissioned earlier".As well as calling for "full and complete apologies", the report's other recommendations related to governance, how the council's legal team works, and the authority's have advised councillors to accept its findings in full and endorse an action plan when they meet on Monday.A previous independent review of the council's behaviour during dispute, known as the the Lowcock Inquiry, said there had been a "failure of strategic leadership".In response, the authority acknowledged its "poor" behaviour towards campaigners and residents and issued personal apologies to some individuals. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
McDonald's withdraws plans for new Sheffield restaurant
McDonald's has withdrawn its application for a new restaurant in Sheffield. The fast food giant had wanted to open another franchise on land adjacent to London Road and Broadfield Road in the Lowfield City Council received 270 objections to the proposals, citing the proximity to other McDonald's restaurants, traffic concerns and the impact on children's health.A total of 31 people submitted comments in support of the plans, which McDonald's said would have created 120 jobs. The company declined to comment. Planning officers recommended councillors reject the said the proposal was within "easy walking distance of schools and locations where young people congregate", adding: "There is evidence that a concentration of similar uses is having an adverse impact on health in the locality".They went on to say: "Given the well-established links between obesity, unhealthy food choice and deprivation, and the proximity to places where young people would congregate, the proposal would not promote healthy eating and would likely exacerbate existing health inequalities within the surrounding catchment area."McDonald's had proposed building the drive-thru restaurant on currently unoccupied land, albeit next to the busy A61 road also known as London year, the council completed a programme of roadworks at the junction near to the site to ease traffic claimed the level of new traffic created by the development would be "modest and unlikely to have a material impact".However, officers said the restaurant would be "entirely" reliant on access from the A61 and criticised a lack of safe access for pedestrians and also said the proposals could cause "significant harm" to nearby homes on Chippinghouse Road. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
7 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Sheffield Ski Village redevelopment delayed by road issues
A £20m scheme to redevelop the former Sheffield Ski Village is at risk because of continuing problems with the road leading to the City Council wants to develop Parkwood Springs into a country park, but access for coaches and lorries is limited by a railway bridge over Douglas who have been working on plans to resolve the issue since 2017, have now suggested creating a new access road a council report has warned that any further increased costs or delays "could jeopardise the affordability of the wider Parkwood programme". According to the report the new road would connect nearby Oakham Drive and Vale Road, with work also needed to upgrade the junction of Oakham Drive and Rutland Road to accommodate the extra traffic flow. There would also be "a strong emphasis" on walking and cycling paths and public transport. Several plans have been put forward to redevelop the former ski village, since it closed in 2012 following a 2017 Extreme Leisure signed a lease to create a modern ski slope at the site and a £4.8m loan was secured to support the construction of an access road, car park and site by 2020 Extreme had failed to progress the work, in particular for the access road, so the council stepped in to design and construct the road before eventually ending the agreement in recently Skyline Luge, from New Zealand, has been brought on board to masterplan the Miskell, chairman of the council's transport and regeneration committee, said Parkwood Springs was an incredibly important site and the project would turn it into an important leisure said: "The report rightly identifies the risks to the delivery of the whole programme for elements that we do not yet have the detailed costs for."This is important information to be taken into account. It does not mean that this will happen. It only means that we need to be aware of the whole costs of the programme in taking this decision which is important to progress this significant project."Levelling Up funding was confirmed in November 2024 for Parkwood Springs, with the council committing part of the grant for preliminary work on the new the time, the council said the relocation of a local business had also progressed, with a new site identified for new purpose-built the latest council report warns of further "risks". It said: "The acquisition is for a significant portion of land which is in private ownership, negotiations for which are ongoing and will need to be completed in order for the scheme to progress."As part of this acquisition, additional work needs to be done on ascertaining any removal, re-establishment or remediation costs of an existing business, which have not yet been established with certainty."Increased costs of this could jeopardise the affordability of the wider Parkwood programme."The report adds that the estimated costs for changing the Rutland Road junction were based on preliminary designs and the detailed design could increase costs and "put pressure on the remainder of the programme".Levelling Up funding must be used by March 2028 and the council said it was essential that detailed design work started as soon as possible, though it would not commit to delivery costs until the land purchase is complete. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sean Bean criticises green belt housing plan in area of Sheffield
Actor Sean Bean has said a plan to build homes on green belt land in the area where he grew up would "practically obliterate the character and nature of our area".Sheffield City Council approved plans to build more than 1,700 homes in Handsworth as part of the city's local plan, which council leader Tom Hunt previously said was needed to "tackle the housing crisis".In an email of objection seen by the BBC, Bafta-winning star Bean said: "It seems the council sees us as second-class citizens who will just have to put up with it."Sheffield City Council has been contacted for comment. Sadie Charlton, a member of a campaign group fighting the plan, said: "It's really boosted our morale and everybody's so thankful for him to take the time to put his voice forward because what he says in his objection is how we all feel."The 36-year-old occupational therapist contacted Bean following the death of another campaigner, Sapphire McCarthy, who had previously been in touch with him."He was really interested in keeping in touch about how the campaign is going because obviously he cares about Handsworth," she 66, who can currently be seen in gritty BBC drama This City Is Ours, submitted his objection less than two hours before the end of the consultation said: "It seems like this working-class community and its surrounding areas has been specifically targeted, while other more affluent, genteel areas on the other side of Sheffield have escaped lightly." Ms Charlton added: "Before 24 April I didn't even know what a local plan was, and that really highlights in S13 we're not as politically engaged as areas of the west of Sheffield."She said the campaign group was now called Save S13 Green Belt - The Sapphire McCarthy Campaign, in tribute to Ms McCarthy."Without her, none of this would have happened," Ms Charlton said."Not one person ever met her and didn't instantly just love her, and I suspect that Sean felt the same when he had conversations with her."She said Bean had first phoned Ms McCarthy when she was shopping at a supermarket, and she told him to call her his objection email, Bean paid tribute to Ms McCarthy's "valiant and impassioned campaign".Although the consultation period closed on 11 July, Ms Charlton said the campaign group would "rally on, carry on forward, get more people involved"."The community have really rallied around and come together, so this is just the beginning for us," she said. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
