S13 residents urged to attend public meeting to show opposition against plans to build 1700 homes in Handsworth

The group called ‘Hands Off S13 Greenbelt’ was created by residents in April after Sheffield City Council unveiled controversial plans to build 1638 homes in two areas of greenbelt land in S13. Since then Clive Betts (MP Sheffield South East) has come on board to support the group.

As part of the public consultation the council have organised a meeting which will take place on Monday, June 23 from 4.30pm until 8.30pm which will be held at Handsworth Methodist Church.

At the meeting planners will be present and the protest group are urging residents to go along and give their views and ask questions to show the strength of feeling vehemently against the scheme.

A spokesperson for Hands Off S13 Greenbelt said: “We really would urge residents in S13 to attend the meeting on Monday and to show the council our strength in numbers in opposition to this scheme which will ruin our community.

“We feel the council have been grossly unfair in bringing these developments to the table and many people only found out about the scheme from a report in The Star - without this we would probably be none the wiser. We feel this lack of consultation is against the Government's own planning policy which encourages open discussion on such developments.

“These two sites represent one of the largest Green Belt incursions in Sheffield’s history, permanently erasing countryside that buffers the communities of Handsworth, Richmond, Stradbroke and Woodhouse and overwhelming the local infrastructure that is already failing to meet demand.

“It would mean almost half of the new housing stock (44%) on greenbelt land for the entire city would be built on the two sites in Handsworth which is totally unjust on the area - while more affluent parts of the city are relatively unscathed by the plans. This represents 90% of Handsworth’ greenbelt - how can that be fair?

“We would love to see as many residents as possible at the meeting on Monday where they can ask questions and raise concerns - let’s show the council why their plans are so terribly wrong.”

The group are also urging residents to submit an objection as part of the local plan consultation which runs until July 11 with a series of drop in sessions being held every Sunday at The Handsworth Scout Hut from 3.30pm until 5pm up until the end of the consultation period to help them formulate their objections.

Local conservationists confirm the S13 greenbelt area is home to rich and diverse wildlife, including protected species such as bats, owls, newts, deer, hedgehogs, badgers, foxes and many bird species and forms part of a vital ecological corridor. There are many rare plants and trees in the area which directly borders the ancient bluebell woodland of Shirtcliff Woods meaning development here would not only destroy important habitats but also damage irreplaceable natural heritage.

Earlier this month residents produced a video using photographs they have taken on the Bramley site - which would see 868 homes built - which shows how the area is a vital area of green land for both residents and wildlife and has an abundance of nature.

The other proposed site is for 870 new homes on farmland off Finchwell Lane less than a mile away - and next to the new Waverley housing development which has already put pressure on local services. Residents have said the housing scheme would lead to increased traffic and pollution in an area already struggling to cope.

The group have a website ‘Save S13 Greenbelt’ to keep people up to date on what is happening and have raised £5,000 so far to support any legal action going forward with a GO Fund Me page.

The local plan - which is the blueprint for future development in the area - will then be considered by Government Planning Inspectors so it is vital residents ‘Have Their Say’. The best way to make your feelings known is online at https://haveyoursay.sheffield.gov.uk/sheffield-plan. You can also email [email protected] send a letter to: Strategic Planning Team, Planning Service, 5th Floor, Howden House, Sheffield S1 2SH.

You can view the video here

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zsx93FALg6ADQXa2qmiLMJ-gH9oK6skq/view