Protests as residents furious over 'removal of hedgerow' on Sheffield green belt site earmarked for housing
Protesters are angry over ‘removal of habitat’ on green belt site
Police were called out over work being carried out on a field which forms part of major Sheffield green belt housing plan.
Campaigners rang South Yorkshire Police over concerns that what they believed to be protected hedgerows and animal habitats were being torn out.
Concerns still remain over the work, with campaigners claiming that hedgerows in the field at a site known as Handsworth Hall Farm, near Finchwell Road, were legally protected because of the amount of time that they had been there.
They claimed that hedges were species-rich , and that the land still remained green belt as there was no planning permission for anything else.
The land owners have rejected their claim and say they have done nothing wrong.
Campaigner Amanda Crombie told how she stood in front of a digger to try to stop the work, while residents called police over the incident.
Amanda said: “I stood in front of a digger and told the driver to stop. He said ‘I’m not going to run you over’.
“He got out of the cab and called his boss, who was hostile and threated to have me arrested for trespass.
“He told me I was breaking health and safety rules too, because I wasn’t wearing high vis or a hard hat.”
She said police who had been called, including wildlife officers, took statements, and said they would not be arresting anyone.
“People are extremely upset about what they’ve done,” she said.
Protesters later gathered on the site.
Stay informed about Sheffield and South Yorkshire. Get more stories like this and the day’s top headlines with our free daily newsletter
The site features in Sheffield Council’s controversial Local Plan - a blueprint for development in Sheffield up to 2039.
There are 14 plots of land earmarked for 3,529 houses and 130 acres for business.
Many residents area up in arms over plans to use the city’s green belt.
Jack Byrom, one of the ward councillors for Richmond on Sheffield Council, has told residents that he completely understood their concerns regarding the impact on local wildlife, as well as the knock-on effects it may have on any decisions for the site in the Local Plan.
He said he was asking questions about whether the correct legal permissions were obtained before the work took place.
The Handsworth Farm Partnership, which says it is the landowner, said in a statement to The Star: “Following concerns raised locally, representatives of The Handsworth Farm Partnership, the landowner, have spoken directly with Sheffield City Council’s planning and ecology officers, and have shared the relevant ecological information.
“We have been advised that the works undertaken by the farm contractor were lawful and that there is no known badger sett at this location.
“We hope this clarification provides reassurance to local residents.”
South Yorkshire Police said: “Officers attended following reports of potential wildlife offences at the location. Having investigated, the incident was filed with no offences recorded.”
Sheffield Council has been approached for comment.
- RELATED: Green Party councillors say 20 Glyphosate free streets in Sheffield is not enough
- RELATED: Countryside route improvements plan for Stocksbridge
- RELATED: New Yorkshire Water boss faces urgent calls to curb pollution
- RELATED: Children’s Hospice puts recycled trees at the top of its wishlist this festive season