Controversial plans to build houses on a greenfield site in Sheffield 'should be scrapped'

The Owlthorpe Fields Action Group wants plans to build 74 houses on part of eight-hectares of former farmland in the east Sheffield suburb halted by Sheffield Council.

They say the fields are one of the only patches of green space left in an area that has been overdeveloped for more than 40 years, and that they should be turned into a nature reserve.

Group spokesperson, Christine Rippon, said: “We think there has been enough building throughout this area.

“Owlthorpe, Halfway, Mosborough, Eckington, Hackenthorpe and Waterthorpe have been massively overdeveloped over 40 years.

“But we shouldn’t just be stopping housebuilding. We should be protecting land for future generations and dedicating it as a nature reserve.

“The council has stated they want to build on brownfield sites but we don’t seem to be seeing much evidence of that. There has been so much building there is so little open a space left.”

The current proposal for 74 new homes on Owlthorpe Fields is just the first of three expected applications for the site, which could eventually lead to hundreds of new homes.

However, Christine is worried that should any further housebuilding take place there, the last chance to save it will be lost.

She said: “We get called nimbys but my husband and I are not in the first flush of youth. We are doing it for our children and grandchildren. There is no municipal space in this area and nowhere to go without getting in a car.

“I don’t think it is enough for the council to declare a climate emergency. They should be declaring an ecological emergency and reviewing the policies of each department to see how they can be changed to help the environment.”

The vacant plot, which lies close to the Donetsk Way Supertram stop and surrounds Owlthorpe Surgery, has been earmarked for new homes since the 60s.

A petition organised by the group in 2018 to oppose the plans attracted 900 signatures in just two weeks.

A Sheffield City Council spokesperson said: “As we are all aware, housing is in high demand UK wide. Sheffield has a growing population and we need to respond to this with a plan that meets the need for more homes.

“In terms of Owlthorpe we are listening to concerns about the plans to build on the site and will continue to do.”