Sheffield Council to take action on unauthorised scrapyard operating by cemetery

Councillors have voted to take action against a scrapyard owner creating an eyesore by storing scrapped vehicles next to a cemetery.
Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.
Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.

Members of Sheffield Council’s planning committee today (Tuesday, November 1) took issue with the unauthorised use of land next to Tinsley Park Cemetery as a vehicle breakers yard.

They were told by officers that cars due to be scrapped had been left in Barleywood Road, blocking the route for the public. And they heard that the business owner was putting up a building next to the cemetery without permission.

Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.
Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.
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Councillors voted to allow officers to take ‘any appropriate action including if necessary, enforcement action’.

The options available to the council are the use of a stop notice, removal of the unauthorised building and clearance of any items associated with the unauthorised use.

A report to the committee said a member of the public who regularly visited family graves at the cemetery had complained about the state of the yard next door.

It said the business owner had applied for building regulations for the new building, but it had no planning permission, and although the use of land as a scrapyard was acceptable in principle, its proximity to the cemetery and nearby listed buildings ‘raises serious concerns’.

Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.
Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.
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“The quiet enjoyment of the cemetery by families visiting graves could be spoiled and the setting of the listed buildings and listed wall is considered to be spoiled by the visual impact of the use and large new building,” the report said.

The cemetery wall and railings are Grade II-listed. Cars are parked right next to it, ‘obscuring the wall from view’, according to the report, with waste materials also dumped there.

“All of this is visually unattractive when viewed in the context of the cemetery and is clearly visible from the adopted section of Barleywood Road on the approach to the cemetery entrance,” said the report. “The storage and the waste spoils the setting of the listed boundary wall, gates and the chapels in the backdrop.

“Although a dead-end road, leading to the unauthorised scrap yard, this public highway is also obstructed by these items and highways enforcement are investigating.”

Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.
Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.
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Council officers who visited the site said the scrapyard had been in operation for about three-and-a-half years. They said there was ‘no clear plan’ for waste management and the tarmac of the yard was covered in oil.

The report acknowledged there were other industrial buildings close by but said they were not as close as the new building and would have less of an impact on the listed buildings.

The Star has not yet been able to contact the business owner.

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Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.
Scrapyard on Barleywood Road in Tinsley next to Tinsley Park Cemetery.