Plans for retirement homes replacing Dore Moor Garden Centre in Sheffield could be refused

Sheffield City Council’s planning and highways committee will discuss the application for 125 extra care units following the demolition of the garden centre on Brickhouse Lane in Dore.

A document stated that the site – which is located within Sheffield’s green belt – comprises 2.5 hectares of land.

Applicant Senior Living (Dore) Ltd is seeking permission to remove the garden centre and build a so-called integrated retirement community (IRC) with 125 units with ancillary communal and care facilities and green space.

The plans include blocks of flats, two-storey homes and some bungalows being built.

According to a report, a pre-application enquiry was submitted in 2022 for the erection of a retirement village with ancillary communal and care facilities (approximately 140 units in total).

The report added hundreds of people – who submitted their approval via Just Build Homes – supported the plans.

Among the main points were an argument for solving the housing crisis as “any new homes are better than none” and the hope for the development keeping people in Sheffield.

A general point was about this development offering “elderly people to have a good quality of life but have that independence too and be able to call on someone, living in an environment with help available to them”.

However, there were also hundreds of people against the proposals.

The main argument was that the new estate would be in the green belt and that the new buildings would change the visual impact with some four-storey flats “ blocking the openness of the area”.

The area’s three local councillors (Liberal Democrats) all objected to the plans also – as well as the Sheffield Wildlife Trust and the Peak District National Park Local Planning Authority, among others.

This application is recommended for refusal.

The proposal will be heard at next week’s (March 5) planning and highways committee meeting at Sheffield Town Hall.