Anger from Sheffield campaigners as gypsy and traveller site stays in city plan

LibDem councillors who have been supporting the campaign voted against accepting the Sheffield draft local plan at a meeting of the council’s strategy and resources committee (August 2). However, they were outvoted and the plan will now go forward to the next stage, once it has been agreed by full council.

Following the decision, Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts announced he would lead the fight against the site when the draft plan comes before a planning inspectorate inquiry.

He said: “The minor revisions made to the site are simply not good enough. Residents and I have still not seen that the council are listening to our concerns or recognising that what they are proposing continues to have fundamental problems with traffic and air pollution, alongside logistical questions with the revised site that simply do not make sense.

“Myself and the residents’ panel want to make it clear that if the council vote for this draft local plan we will continue the fight at the planning inspectorate’s inquiry where we will highlight all of these issues, alongside how the process itself has been deeply flawed from the start.

“I want to put all councillors on notice that this will not end in September, and we will make very clear to the planning inspectorate why this site is unsuitable and how this consultation process has shown deep flaws from the start.”

‘Complete disregard’

Sheffield local plan is a blueprint that sets out where all new developments should be built until 2039.

In a public questions session, an objector from Springwell Residents’ Panel asked: “Why have the council bothered with consultation on the draft plan? It feels like a complete disregard of petitions with 4,000-signatures.”

She said that politicians and Crystal Peaks shopping centre have also lodged objections.

The objector said that petitions were never aimed solely at opposing the gypsy and travellers’ site on land off Eckington Way in Beighton but also zoning the land for industrial needs.

A major concern is the amount of extra traffic the proposals could create in Eckington Way, which is already hit by hold-ups. A report to the committee suggested that traffic congestion and poor air quality could be addressed by a 2024 council transport strategy.

The committee heard the site was subject to more comments than any other part of the plan. The only changes proposed involve adding in an environmental noise buffer between residents and any industrial development, taking account of overhead power lines and removal of a condition on agricultural land.

‘Box ticking’

Members were told that any local plan that does not include a site for travellers will be rejected by planning inspectors.

The objector said the consultation “just feels to us like a complete box-ticking exercise.”

She said it was unacceptable that many issues raised will now be left to the planning stage for the site.

Green Party group leader, Coun Douglas Johnson said: “It’s very welcome that we’ve got to this point. We’ve all been saying that what this council needs is a local plan.

Read this: Council ‘needs to listen to citizens’

“The current one is out of date and not protecting the people of Sheffield from poor development. A good local plan will really protect people in Sheffield.

“There’s lots of things in here that I don’t personally agree with, that’s to be expected. We can all show a compromise that this is a good local plan.”

He said that the plan involves balancing the needs of different people, including those who would live on the travellers’ site. He said it was the best location out of all possible sites.

‘Significant issue’

Deputy council leader, Coun Ben Miskell said: “Having been out to Eckington Way, it is only right that the inspector takes in the views of residents and gives them due regard. Having a local plan will help us as a city to be in charge of our own destiny.”

He said the plan would help to attract investors and ensure high environmental standards for new homes.

Read this: Council tackling Blue Badge backlog

LibDem group leader, Coun Shaffaq Mohammed asked: “How many people would have to respond and object to something before this council would say that is a significant issue and we have to go away and look at it.

“We have had 4,000-plus comments and it’s still going to carry on. What would require you to change tack?”

Council head of planning Michael Johnson replied there was no “magic number” and officers have to look at the balance of issues, making hard decisions.

A LibDem amendment that attempted to have the Eckington Way proposals removed from the draft local plan was not accepted for discussion at the meeting.