Nursery site at the park 'a beautiful setting for new St Luke's'
AS Chair of the old Recreation Committee and Leisure Service on the City Council for over 14 years during the 80s and 90s, can I say the community have never had access to the Norton Nursery site at Graves Park; indeed, it was gated and for most of the time locked at both ends.
Once a year it was opened to the public for two days to have an open day and sell surplus plants. During this time several buildings were put up to use for storage of equipment, and the largest glasshouse within local government was built which included automatic watering, air conditioning and a combined heat and power system, supplying a constant temperature.
It is untrue for people to claim they played there when children. The nursery site was not for Graves Park but for the business of growing and supplying of plants, shrubs and flowers for the whole of our city.
Unfortunately, due to compulsory competitive tendering and the changing world of horticulture the nursery became unviable and now the site lies for the most part derelict.
The proposal to allow St Luke's to build the hospice there, with its attractive garden setting and the continuing involvement of the group that currently use it, will in my view enhance the park, bring an area of land back for the benefit of the whole of Sheffield, create jobs, but above all provide a beautiful setting for those Sheffield people with the greatest need.
Coun Peter Price
We want to work with Friends group
AS we explained at our recent meeting with the FOGP, in deciding to press forward with the Norton Nursery site we completed an options analysis of a variety of sites throughout the city, including Norton Aerodrome.
The site is somewhat remote and inaccessible for relatives. In addition, part of the potential site might well be in Derbyshire and in the green belt which would have a negative impact on the charitable grants and other financial support we need to attract.
As a charity we are required by law to make the most of the monies entrusted to us and we have to pursue the most economically viable alternative available.
Norton Aerodrome is owned by English Partnerships. During our viability studies it became clear that this land if available would probably cost us in excess of 6m to acquire, sanitise and establish the service roads and utilities before we were able to start building. It is likely to cost 18m or so to build this Centre of Excellence for End of Life Care, without adding another 6m before we can start.
We have since been informed by English Partnerships that the part of Norton Aerodrome which is not in green belt has been identified as a suitable site for Sheffield Council to develop in partnership with English Partnerships, as the Carbon Challenge Site. This is an exciting world-leading government and council initiative and we consider that we should not do anything that could compromise it.
If the site as currently configured for future use were made any smaller it might well cease to be of a viable size for that project.
St Luke's has always made clear that if it is not legally possible to acquire the nursery site we would not pursue it.
It has been constantly stated that the legalities are unclear; this is not the case. Again, we explained to the FOGP, at great length, that the definitive letter is the recent letter from the Charity Commission dated 3 August 2007, which is an open letter addressed to all parties. The letter deals with some complexities and the FOGP at first thought it supportive of them. However, expert legal advice indicated to the contrary. The Charity Commission have confirmed that the lawyer's interpretation is correct: In short, the land can be acquired by St Luke's, in accordance with the terms of the Graves Park Charitable Trust, if certain criteria are met. These are achievable and on that basis we are pressing ahead.
We hope to acquire the land from Graves Park Trust by way of a leasehold of 999 years at a market rent, subject to a covenant that if we fail to occupy the land as an hospice it will revert to the charity.
We would still like to work with the FOGP.
We have already met with the members of staff who organise the people with learning disabilities and jointly concluded that we can find a way to use everyone's talents and the greenhouses for the benefit of the city of Sheffield. We have suggested to the FOGP that by working together we should be able to achieve most of their aspirations within a predict-able timetable as well as ours.
Our strategy document sets out the aims and aspirations of St Luke's and we believe our professional care team know what is best for our patients. If we can achieve the use of this site we maintain our pledge of providing the best possible care to all the people of Sheffield. If the FOGP would work with us, this will be a major win for everyone and in particular for each and every one of the citizens of Sheffield.
Andrew Coombe, St Luke's Chairman of the Board of Trustees, St Luke's Hospice.
Nursery was Hall's walled garden
I was infuriated to hear Alex Pettifer claim that Norton Nursery was land that had never been part of Graves Park: absolute tosh.
I have a council publication, History and Development of Norton Nursery, showing the nursery in 1935 when it was nothing more than the old walled vegetable garden to Norton Hall.
It then goes into great detail about how the end wall was knocked down and the nursery constructed on land from the park. It compares the 1935 map with that of 1983 to show the nursery as four times its original size.
You have to ask why would Graves have bought this land to be an extension of the park if he did not require it to be used as parkland?
Nick Williams
Look at the Grange
Has anyone considered the land next to Abbeydale Grange opposite the Tesco garage? It has been for sale for years, is surrounded by woodland and sports fields, close to Millhouses Park and has good transport links. The land is derelict and would be an ideal spot for St Lukes.
Mark Crossley, Cobnar Rd, Sheffield
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