Sheffield Wednesday fans' fury over 'wasted chance' for more parking opposite Hillsborough stadium where new Costa and Aldi are planned

The city council is set to make a decision on whether a five hectare site between Herries Road and Penistone Road will be developed into nine business units.

The outlets are expected to be taken by Selco Builders Warehouse, Travis Perkins Builders Merchants and Formula One Autocentre – as well as a Costa Coffee, an Aldi and a gym.

But it seems none of these suggestions have been palatable for Wednesday’s fans, who have labelled the plan a “wasted chance” to address the nightmare of street parking and traffic problems on match days by building a car park.

"How many Aldis and Costas do we need,” wrote one Star reader, Gillian Bassett, in response.

Another, Paul Flewitt, wrote: “Got to laugh really. People complain about cars parking all over on match days, and the council have a perfect opportunity to solve the issues. Instead, they do this.

"I guess they just make more money from ticketing people who park on Herries Road.”

In a half mile radius around the proposed units, there are currently nine other gyms or personal trainer studios as well as Hillsborough Leisure. An existing Costa Coffee will be a 15 minute walk away from the new one, on Middlewood Road behind the stadium. An existing Aldi is 1.5 miles down Penistone Road. A Sainsbury’s is also half a mile up Penistone Road.

The city council received one letter of support and 13 letters of objection to the proposals, one of which outlined the lack of matchday parking and the impact on local vendors.

“I am SOOO excited for this,” wrote Star reader Steven William Collins. “That should get us promoted.”

"Why don’t they build some more student accommodation with Costa and Aldi underneath,” wrote Neil Millitt. “I think we could do with some more.”

"Making this area a car park would help to free up some of the local area to enable local residents to park outside or near to their houses,” wrote David Haslam.

"The footpath on that side of the road already accommodates a designated cycle lane for all those thousands of cyclists that commute into the City Centre from Foxhill, Southey and Oughtibridge.

"There are two Costas less than a mile away, and the area certainly doesn't need either another health club or supermarket.”

Other suggestions came from readers asking for a pub, a wildlife centre and a retail park instead.

In a report on the proposals, a council officer said there were improvements to the new junction as part of the revised scheme which will increase pedestrian and cycling priority.

The report said: “The proposal would not significantly harm the living conditions of nearby residents subject to the imposition of appropriate conditions.

“The revised layout, scale and massing of the proposed buildings and the contemporary design approach is acceptable.

“The revised scheme will make a positive contribution to the appearance of the locality and the visual amenities of the locality.”