Campaigner demands action over Sheffield road closure error
Sheffield City Council have admitted that they acted wrongly to close a street off to parking and a campaigner has called for action to reverse the situation.
The closure of Montague Street off Cemetery Road, Sharrow for parking was challenged by David Glass. As previously reported, he launched online petitions on change.org and the council website which attracted 594 signatures.
Now Mr Glass wants to know why the road next to the General Cemetery remains barricaded by concrete bollards with yellow lines in place despite the council’s admission.
The council said that it has asked its highways contractor Amey to do the work “as soon as practically possible”.
Mr Glass said: “Despite Sheffield City Council’s formal admission that the closure of Montague Street and the traffic order were made without legal basis, and that the road had been kept closed without any valid reason for a very long period, the street remains barricaded and double-yellow lines are still in place three weeks after the council promised to reopen it and six weeks after a formal written complaint and legal documents were submitted to the council.
Prohibition
“In a written response dated October 7, 2025, a senior council solicitor confirmed that the Montague Street (Prohibition of Vehicles) Order 2025 “did not satisfy any of the criteria set out under section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984” and stated that “the council therefore accepts that the TTRO [ Temporary Traffic Regulation Order] should not have been made.”
“The same response also confirmed that the earlier 2021 order for waiting restrictions had expired in 2023 and that continuing to enforce it was equally unlawful.”
Mr Glass launched his campaign because he wanted to return to parking on the road to visit a nearby GP surgery and walk his dog in the cemetery grounds.
He said: “Initially I started phoning and asking the council many months ago in February why the road had never been reopened more than a year after the works had finished. Their reaction was weeks of silence, then an illegal Temporary Traffic Regulation Order to keep it closed was issued.”
The council said two month ago that it had extended temporary parking restriction put in place to facilitate works on the cemetery.
It told the Local Democracy Reporting Service in August: “These restrictions were extended following requests from the Cemetery Road Action Group and local councillors, to allow time to explore a long-term plan for the space.”
Nature
The action group said a return to allowing parking on the no through road would interfere with their plans to create a nature walk linking the cemetery with a school and a route to Ecclesall Road.
Mr Glass said the council admitted to him that parking fines would need to be refunded but he does not believe there is any system in place for this. He called for anyone affected to contact his campaign webpage.
The council said that its review of the matter concluded that the Montague Street Order 2025 did not meet the criteria set out under the Section 14(1) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
“As part of the resolution, the council has agreed to remove the concrete bollards and expired temporary waiting restrictions as soon as practically possible.
“Parking Services has also suspended enforcement of the expired temporary double yellow lines.
“Sheffield City Council is currently in consultation with its highways contractor, Amey, to confirm the dates when the work will be able to take place.”