Sheffield residents form ‘supergroup’ to fight council’s ‘unfair’ green belt housing plan

Residents who have fought against the authority’s “unfair” Local Plan to build 3,529 homes on land which has been designated as greenbelt in areas across Sheffield have now joined forces and formed the ‘Sheffield Greenbelt Alliance’ and are demanding the council utilise brownfield sites instead.

They are now calling on people in Sheffield to identify vacant, underused and previously developed land across the city which they can present to the council as alternative sites.

It comes after the recent Local Plan hearings at which Sheffield City Council stated that it does not have the resources to inspect every plot of land across the city to determine availability. At the same time, communities have been told that there is no reasonable alternative to releasing Greenbelt land for development, which they are challenging.

They have said the Council’s last formal call for sites took place back in 2019 and the Brownfield Land Register, which is intended to be updated annually, has not been refreshed in line with that expectation prior to preparation of the current draft plan.

The Alliance believes this raises the possibility that suitable brownfield land may not have been fully identified or assessed and want this to be tested against the most up-to-date and comprehensive information available which residents can help with.

They are calling on the public, as well as landowners and developers, to submit details of empty, derelict, underused or long-vacant sites anywhere in Sheffield which they can present as alternatives as they attempt to save the greenbelt from destruction.

A spokesperson for the Sheffield Greenbelt Alliance said: “Sheffield needs homes and economic growth. This initiative is not about stopping development. It is about ensuring development happens in the right places.

“Once greenbelt is lost, it cannot be restored. Before irreversible decisions are made, every reasonable brownfield option must be visible and properly considered.

“We believe brownfield sites can have fresh life breathed into them while providing extra housing to meet the needs of a growing city. We hope our call for sites will contribute to a fuller and more transparent understanding of land genuinely available for regeneration before final decisions are taken."

Campaigners have made the call as Sheffield City Council holds a full council meeting today (Wednesday, 2pm) at which the Local Plan will be discussed and residents against the scheme will be invited to have their say.

But previous consultations have been criticised by campaigners who felt the authority did not listen to their concerns and have just ploughed ahead with their plan, which has been condemned as ‘wholly unfair’. For example in S13 the postcode will lose more than 90% of its greenbelt and has already seen services stretched to breaking point with the nearby housing development at Waverley featuring hundreds of new homes.

Clive Betts, Labour MP for Sheffield East, has also attacked the Council’s plans which he said would ‘unfairly burden’ areas which are deprived, while areas in upmarket areas escaped unscathed.

He said 24 plots in upmarket areas were not included including 12 in S17 - Dore, Totley and Bradway; seven in Ecclesall - S11; and five in Fulwood and Lodge Moor - S10. He added a fairer allocation across the city would release the burden on services and green space and give more chances for people to live where they wanted.

Hollywood actor Sean Bean, who was born in Handsworth, has also attacked the council over the plans which will see almost half the entire housing allocation built in one postcode area of S13.

Government Inspectors allowed the plan to be given the go-ahead subject to modifications, which were published this week and residents can ‘have their say' on these at https://haveyoursay.sheffield.gov.uk/sheffield-plan-main-modifications. A final report will be sent to the authority in May and will go to a vote at a full council meeting.