‘Shambolic’ green belt consultation slammed as Sheffield residents demand answers

At a public meeting earlier this month, campaigners submitted dozens of written questions about plans to release 14 green belt sites for housing, including the city’s largest proposed allocation in the S13 area around Handsworth.

The council livestreamed the meeting and publicly stated that all questions submitted would be answered in writing.

But in follow-up emails, a council representative said: “Due to the volume of questions, the Leader and Planning team haven’t got the capacity to respond to each individual question. Also worth mentioning you can make a further submission in the public consultation stage.”

Residents say the move contradicts public commitments made on record, and undermines confidence in the entire consultation process.

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‘We were promised answers’

Cheryl Hague, who lives in Handsworth, described the experience as deeply frustrating and said residents are increasingly angry.

“There’s no way to meaningfully engage in a conversation when nobody’s actually listening,” she said.

“Emotions are running really high right now, and we needed this consultation to be a chance to get those feelings heard and understood.”

She says that for many, standing up and asking a question in the meeting was incredibly nerve-wracking, which made this news even more distressing.

“People took time out of their lives to write those questions and attend that meeting and now they’re just being dismissed. We were promised answers and we haven’t got any.”

Sadie, an NHS worker who also lives in the area, said she took time off her day job to attend a council meeting and ask a public question, after a last-minute U-turn allowed them.

Her question read: “Will the council now extend the consultation process so they can engage with the electorate and make up for a lack of previous consultation - and make this a meaningful process?

“It has been shambolic so far and residents in S13 feel rightly extremely frustrated about the whole lack of clarity and fairness from the council.”

She described the experience as hugely frustrating, saying the council’s generic reply barely answered any of the questions submitted.

In an email seen by The Star, she continued to explain that there had been no Regulation 18 consultation specifically on green belt release, no targeted outreach, and no accessible communication to help people understand the impact on their area.

She also questioned how residents were meant to meaningfully engage when they still hadn’t received basic answers or clear information about their local sites.

‘We’re doing the work the council should have done’

As a result, Cheryl, Sadie, and other campaigners, have taken it upon themselves to go door to door, raising awareness in their neighbourhood.

“We only found out about these plans two weeks before the meeting, but a lot of elderly people here still have no idea what’s happening,” Cheryl said.

“Not everyone is online, some people don’t use a mobile phone. So we’ve been knocking on doors, explaining things, trying to help people make their views known,

“That’s something the council should have done from the start.”

She warned that many vulnerable residents were being excluded from a process that would have a major impact on their lives.

“Elderly people might struggle to write formal responses or navigate an online portal - that doesn’t mean their views don’t matter,” she said.

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‘They’re not the people we elected’

In its emails, the council said concerns could still be submitted to the government inspector during the next phase of consultation.

But Cheryl feels that this is another way of kicking the can down the road, as it is not the job of Inspectors to answer questions.

“They’re saying someone from Whitehall will answer our concerns, but we didn’t elect someone from Whitehall - we elected our local councillors, “ Cheryl said.

“They’re the ones who should be responding, and they’re the ones who are supposed to represent us.”

No infrastructure, no plan

Cheryl said that one of her main concerns personally, is that the green belt release would merge three communities into one, without the infrastructure to support it.

“Look at what happened in Waverley - that development’s still struggling with traffic issues, school places, and services because the infrastructure wasn’t there from the start,” she said.

“And here we are, making the same mistake again. It would need to be a gradual process, but this is being rushed.”

She also raised environmental concerns, saying the local green belt was one of the few accessible outdoor spaces for residents who can’t travel far.

“A lot of people here, especially older residents, rely on this space to go for a walk. We don’t have good connections to bigger green spaces or the Peaks,” Cheryl explained.

She also raised concerns for protected species, whose habitat would be lost as a result.

‘It’s shambolic, and it stinks, to be honest.’

Residents like Cheryl say they are not opposed to new housing - but they want transparency, proper consultation and planning that puts communities first.

She feels that the city council has failed to fulfil their role in championing the queries of residents.

“It’s shambolic, and it stinks, to be honest,” said Cheryl.

“We’ve seen what can happen when you ignore people - with the trees, with Waverley, now this. They keep saying they’ve learned lessons, but nothing’s changed.”

Cheryl hopes that by maintaining pressure on Sheffield City Council, and continuing to engage the public, the plans may receive a more fair consultation.

The Star has contacted Sheffield City Council for comment.

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