Politicians welcome Sheffield Council's decision to block controversial housing plans

The planning board refused to allow 85 houses to be built on much-loved open space at the junction with Carr Road and Hollin Busk Lane at Deepcar.

Stocksbridge councillor Julie Grocott had spoken out against the development. She said: “The proposal was causing a great deal of anxiety to many residents.

“I made the case that the developer has no vested interest in what is built at Hollin Busk and that the development would damage the ecology of the area, spoil the surrounding green spaces enjoyed by local residents and cause significant problems with traffic and parking.

“I also mentioned problems with drainage at the site and that it fails to provide proper community cohesion. Quite frankly, this is not a space on which to build homes. The message is clear - green sites should be protected."

Penistone and Stockbridge MP Miriam Cates had also added her voice against the plans. She said: "The land at Hollin Busk is an important part of the rural fringe and green corridor that separates and retains the distinctiveness of the communities of Stocksbridge, Deepcar and Bolsterstone.

"More than 1,000 homes have already been approved for development in the Upper Don Valley. Most of these are on brownfield sites or are infill developments, and these should be prioritised over greenfield sites such as Hollin Busk.

"Sheffield needs to develop and adopt a Local Plan as soon as possible to ensure applications such as this cannot be considered in future without the consent of local communities.

"I'm pleased this application was rejected and I congratulate the members of the community and the Friends of Hollin Busk who enjoyed working alongside to secure this outcome."

And the Campaign to Protect Rural England called it "great news" in a tweet. The South Yorkshire branch said: "The campaign to save wonderful green fields at Hollin Busk succeeded as the planning committee refused permission for unsustainable car-centric low density housing. Well done everyone who worked so hard for this result."

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