Sheffield green belt: Surprise housing plans are 'another street tree scandal' furious protester claims

Grenoside residents demonstrated at Sheffield Town Hall this afternoon ahead of an extraordinary full council meeting to vote on the Local Plan - a blueprint for development over the next 14 years.

The authority wants to build 3,529 homes on 14 green belt sites across the city to meet government housing targets.

Grenoside is earmarked for almost 1,000 homes on three sites, as well as two schools and a graveyard, which would join it up with Parson Cross.

The plans were unveiled on April 24. The deadline to submit letters of objection was 9am on Friday, May 9. The council meeting started at 2pm today.

A report called ‘Sheffield Plan Update’ runs to 127 pages and ‘Selection of Sites for Green Belt Release Topic Paper’ runs to 552 pages.

Chery Hall, of Wheel Lane, Grenoside, said there had been very little time for residents to ask questions and compared it to Sheffield’s street tree scandal.

She added: “It’s taken us by storm and we feel like there is something unjustified at the base of this and there is a lot they are trying to keep from us.

“The trees issue stemmed from a very unjust start were the public were not invited for comment and people’s rights were taken from them. And in that respect, that’s how we feel.”

In 2023, Sheffield City Council published an extraordinary four-page apology 'to all residents and beyond' for misleading the courts and public over a plan to cut down half of the city's 35,000 street trees as part of a highways improvement contract with private firm Amey.

It led to council leader Terry Fox and Councillor Bryan Lodge being forced from office.

The green belt development plans were drawn up after the government asked the authority to identify land for 3,529 homes and 130 acres for business as part of the city’s Local Plan.

The authority says it had to choose green belt because brownfield sites have been ‘maximised’.

Green councillor Douglas Johnson said there wasn’t an earlier consultation on the sites because the authority argued against building on any of the green belt.

He added: “The current situation has only come about because of the government inspectors’ rejection of this part of the council’s case.”

Coun Johnson said if the Local Plan is voted through today, public consultation would run from May 29 to July 11. The responses go directly to the planning inspectors “as they will make the decision, not the council,” he added.

A new Local Plan addressing government demands for 38,012 new homes in Sheffield by 2039, could be adopted next year.

Coun Johnson added: “After that, for these big sites, there should be a ‘masterplanning’ stage where it will be important to have community involvement too.

“Ultimately, a developer will produce a planning application. Only when that happens will we see exactly what is proposed for the sites.

“This has to include widespread public consultation and another chance for people to object to the specific plans.”