Sheffield Council approves long-awaited local plan in heated Town Hall meeting

The blueprint for where 35,700 new homes, as well as business and other developments, will be built has been a long time coming after several delays that left Sheffield relying on outdated policies and with less control over where developments went.

The draft plan will now be sent to the Government for examination before coming into action from next year. The final version will guide developments up to 2039.

Speaking in the meeting, council leader Tom Hunt said: “This plan will help shape the future of Sheffield. It’s a plan for the people of Sheffield. It’s been hard work and it has involved hard decisions for lots of us.

“It is by listening that this city wide plan has been developed. It sets out how we will provide new homes, new jobs, new opportunities and how we will grow and help Sheffield realise its potential. Delaying today would put our green belt at risk, weaken our ability to decide what gets built where and risk undermining confidence in the city. No more delay.

“We are a great city. A city on the up. This plan will help us to become an even greater city to live, work and grow up in.”

Coun Paul Turpin, who has been on the steering committee for the local plan, said it was a “long and arduous” journey to get to this point.

He said there was compromise by all parties, the plan was good and it would be reviewed within five years.

Heated Town Hall meeting

Taking place on one of the hottest days of the year so far, the meeting was heated in more ways than one.

Ahead of the vote, councillors debated three amendments including one that was not allowed to be voted on.

The first was put forward by Liberal Democrat Coun Joe Otten who wanted to see a policy to ban takeaways near schools to tackle obesity removed from the plan. This was lost.

The other voting amendment was put forward by Labour and related to the controversial Eckington Way Gypsy and Traveller site. It had a part asking the independent inspector to conduct public hearings about the site due to concerns – this part was voted against but the rest of the amendment giving thanks was carried.

The Liberal Democrats proposed an amendment to abandon the controversial Eckington Way Gypsy and Traveller site but this was not allowed to be debated. A senior council officer told the meeting it was not possible to submit the draft plan to the government without provision for Gypsy and Traveller sites.

Some in the public gallery were shouting at councillors, expressing their opposition to this part of the plan. There is also a petition against the Eckington Way site with thousands of signatures.

Lib Dem councillors argued residents who objected were being ignored and some Labour councillors also raised concern about the site.

Two Labour councillors – former council leader Terry Fox and former chair of finance Bryan Lodge – both said they were voting against approving the local plan for this reason, defying the party whip.

The final vote for the overall motion to approve the local plan was 37 for, 17 against and 20 abstentions. Who voted what is expected to be published on the council website later this week.