Campaigners step up fight to stop Sheffield greenbelt homes with 'unprecedented' new tactic
Campaigners battling plans to build thousands of new houses on Sheffield’s greenbelt have launched a new tactic in their fight.
Protesters gathered outside Sheffield Town Hall before the full Sheffield Council meeting on Wednesday, and explained that groups which had been set up to fight plans in different parts of Sheffield could be pooling their resources.
And they also announced plans to launch their own search for brownfield sites that could be used for housing, which they claim Sheffield Council is failing to do.
Gill Travis, who chairs the Chapeltown, Ecclesfield and Grenoside Save Our Greenbelt Action Group, said their demonstration was about saving the greenbelt.
She said she believes the tactic of a campaign group putting together its own list of brownfield sites was one which had never been done before.
She said: “We've been through a thorough consultation process with the Government inspectors but they have come back to say virtually nothing has changed. So we don't feel as though we were listened to as part of that - we're very frustrated.
“We are announcing that we have joined together with other community groups in Sheffield to form the Sheffield Greenbelt Alliance.”
They also announced a plan to create a list of brownfield sites which could be developed instead of fields, which they claim Sheffield Council has not done.
"We keep being told that there are no brownfield sites. We actually produced a list of brownfield sites as part of the inspections, but they were virtually dismissed. In fact, one of the planners said they didn't have enough resources to look at these brownfield sites,” she added.
“If the council are not doing what they should be doing, then we will go for our own brownfield sites list. We have thousands of emails and publications that we will send out to ask people to contact us with any suggestions for brownfield sites.”
She said 75 per cent of the land that had been put forward was productive farmland.
Residents are fighting the plans which were included in Sheffield Council's Local Plan, which would see 3,529 homes, cemeteries and schools built on 14 green belt sites.
Sheffield Council has been approached for comment.