Plans for new Sheffield ski-village link road unveiled as warning raised over Japanese knotweed
Planning application filed with Sheffield Council for £12m link road plan
Plans to create a new access road to help redevelop the former Sheffield ski-village have taken a step forward, but concerns have been raised over nearby Japanese knotweed.
Sheffield Council has filed its planning application for the scheme, which would involve demolishing buildings to create a route between Oakham Drive and Douglas Road, and changes to Vale Road, in Parkwood Springs.
Details outlined in a planning statement, put together by consultants DWD, have outlined the £12m road plans, and describe the plans to demolish buildings which are in the way.
However, they also ring an alarm bell warning that there is Japanese knotweed near the site, which could require treatment.
Japanese knotweed is an ‘invasive’ species of vegetation which is notorious for eating its way through concrete.
The plans describe how the only listed building which would have to be avoided is the Grade II listed Bardwell Road Railway Bridge, and experts say there would have to be measures to be put in place to keep it safe during construction to ’minimise’ accidental damage through collisions due to lorries.
The bridge is currently a bottleneck on the route to the ski village site, which is at the centre for major redevelopment plans. But there has been agreement that access needs improving first.
The report states: “The aim of the proposed development is to help unlock future development at the former Sheffield Ski Village.
“These improvements will allow Oakham Drive to serve as the main access point for future development at this site, avoiding the restricted railway bridge to the south of the Site along Douglas Road.”
It would also see the demolition of the buildings currently occupied by Inkerman Silver, and removal of the existing roundabout at the western end of Oakham Drive. Currently, there is no connection between Oakham Drive and Douglas Road, either for cars, bikes or pedestrians.
The report says the development proposes a link road between the two, allowing better connection into the former ski village site as well as an alternative route to the industrial units on Wallace Road, Douglas Road and Vale Road.
Of the Japanese Knotweed concerns, a further, environmental file included in the application says that from desk-based research and third-party information, while none were observed during a walkover, a separate survey by an experienced ecologist may be needed.
It states: “Japanese Knotweed would have to be removed as they will affect the road redevelopment by pushing up through tarmac and paving.”
The council first announced plans to redevelop the former ski village in 2017, leading to a £25m deal with Extreme Destinations the following year.
In 2020, the council won a £6m grant to improve access to the site, which is through a single-lane arch under a railway bridge on Bardwell Road.
In 2021, Extreme’s proposed access arrangements were ‘found to be complex and delivery would be challenging on the timescale required by the grant funding,’ a council report stated.
Work on the road design stopped, the grant was reallocated and the agreement with Extreme ended.
In November 2023, it was announced Parkwood had won £19.4m from the Levelling Up Fund for a new road, a clean up and new mountain bike trails and paths.
In December 2024, the council said it was still in discussions with New Zealand company Skyline about a ‘gravity park’ with toboggans and zip wires but ‘on the clear understanding that dealing with the site’s access and the condition of the site itself was needed before Skyline would be able to take forward any proposals’.