Owlthorpe Fields: Sheffield campaigners celebrate saving green space from housing threat

Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts gave the ews to Owlthorpe Fields Action Group (OAG) that, following four years of campaigning, the Sheffield Local Plan set to be adopted by Sheffield City Council will exclude the fields from areas open for home-building.

The plan goes out to public consultation in January, so the group urged supporters to back the proposal for Owlthorpe Fields.

A statement from the group said: “For four long years Owlthorpe Fields Action Group (OAG) have worked tirelessly to achieve this goal; words cannot express how delighted and overwhelmed we are with this news.

“We have endured a range of emotions during our campaign: elation when the planning committee of Sheffield City Council overwhelmingly rejected the first planning application; sadness and anger when the appeal was granted by the Government Planning Inspectorate – overturning the democratic decision of our local council; devastation when the bulldozers moved in and hundreds of trees were felled to clear the site for development.

“We’ve laughed together, cried together, worried together and ‘Zoomed’ together, but here we are after four years, looking forward to what we hope will be the beginning of a new chapter for Owlthorpe Fields.

“Many times we felt ready to give up – but we supported each other, we rallied, we gathered our energies and fought on, knowing the sites were worth saving. We recognised their ecological value, their contribution to reversing the devastating biodiversity loss in Sheffield and the UK generally, and their contribution to tackling the global climate emergency.

‘You really can make a difference’

“So, we set about proving their true worth. We started by recording the flora and fauna of the fields and then commissioned a professional habitat survey. The combined data clearly demonstrated that the sites met the criteria for designation as a local wildlife site (LWS). This designation was granted in August this year.

“We are extremely grateful to those within the council who have listened to our concerns over the last few years, and who reviewed our evidence and recognised the true ecological importance of these rewilded sites. During our campaign we strived always to be polite and factual and were prepared to listen to alternative points of view with respect; this, we feel, has been reciprocated.”

The group thanked supporters, including Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, its living landscape development manager Dr Nicky Rivers, Clive Betts and supportive councillors, the Woodland Trust, CPRE, PTES, Friends of the Earth, Professor Ian Rotherham and Peter Brown.

They added: “Although we are not quite there, today’s news is very significant and we look forward to seeing some much-needed land management carried out on the sites once the final Local Plan hurdles have been cleared.

“On a final note, we hope our campaign gives encouragement to others facing similar battles. It demonstrates what can be achieved if you stick to your principles, fight for what you believe in, present facts and never give in.

“Yes, it is hard work, it’s exhausting and at times heartbreaking, but you really can make a difference.”

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