Sheffield park users have their say on rival plans for old nurseries
Two rival proposals have been put forward to replace a council depot in a popular Sheffield park that has been part of a long-running row over its future use.
The Friends of Graves Park want to continue their long-running project to turn part of the former Norton Nurseries site into an extension of the Chantreyland wildlife meadow and arboretum.
Now, a Sheffield City Council public consultation also puts forward plans by social enterprise Food Works to expand their food-growing project which started two years ago in one of the old nursery glasshouses.
The consultation survey, available online at https://haveyoursay.sheffield.gov.uk/norton-nursery-restoration, runs until September 20.
The consultation survey mentions the possibility of blending the two ideas in some way but does not give any details of how this might work.
The Friends of Graves Park description of their proposal says: “The proposed extension would be developed to achieve a treescape and ecologically enriched environment, opened up to the public once completed.
Glory
“This area, which was once ancient woodland, would once again be returned to its former glory, supporting wildflowers, bulbs, shrubs and trees, which in turn would support wildlife within the park.”
The Friends have been campaigning to continue the work they began in 2012 and have already raised the money for it. They came up against obstacles when the council decided it wanted to retain part of the site for a vehicle and waste collection depot.
As a result, the Friends complained successfully to the Charity Commission as the park is owned by a charitable trust. The land was a gift to Sheffield a century ago from a wealthy city benefactor Alderman JG Graves.
The city council is sole trustee of the charity and all decisions about it are made by the charity trustee committee, which oversees 41 similar charitable trusts governing gifts to Sheffield.
The Charity Commission told the council in 2024 that it was in breach of charity law. This is because all activities in the park must benefit the charitable trust, not the council.
However, the commission said that the trust could grant the council a five-year licence to pay to use part of the nurseries site. The licence allows the council to store parks and countryside department vehicles and temporarily keep waste collected from parks and open spaces before it goes for disposal.
Volunteering
The committee agreed that a licence could be granted at its last meeting on July 13.
Food Works say in their proposal: “Over the past two years Food Works has worked to bring the Norton Nursery back to life so that it can be used “by the public with the object of improving their conditions of life”, in line with the Graves Park Charity objectives.
“In that time have supported over 6,000 hours of volunteering on site and revived the disused plant nursery to support over 100 schools to grow food with plants raised on site.”
They add: “We would love to see a park that people don’t just visit, but where they can participate and engage with intersecting activities and services. A vibrant community space, like the animal farm and the cafe.
“This would be a staffed location that works to make the park an integral part of connecting the people in Sheffield with food and nature.”