Sheffield green belt: Handsworth couple say 'dream views' at 'forever home' threatened by 868 houses

Sapphire and Matt McCarthy and their two children were already living on the Bramley estate in Handsworth when a semi yards away on Richworth Road hit the market. It had long been their dream home.

The 1950s house backs on to fields and green space and a survey suggested that because it was green belt it would be “protected forever,” Sapphire said.

So they bought it.

For the next two years they lived in their old house while they did it up - adding a balcony on their bedroom to enjoy the “idyllic” aspect.

They moved into the property in September and would stand in the back garden at night and watch bats and during the day listen to birds, she said.

But the dream was shattered last week when Sheffield City Council announced plans for 868 houses and a secondary school on land between Richworth Road and Beaver Hill Road.

Sapphire said: “It’s idyllic, we had a balcony fitted because the view is so stunning. You can hear nothing apart from the birds.

“People round here are completely shocked and devastated about these plans. There was no prior warning when the council announced them with less than a week to the meeting.”

Since then, Sapphire has set up a Facebook group called ‘Opposition To The Planned Removal Of Green Belt Land In S13’ which has attracted more than 450 members.

Concerns include loss of wildlife and green space, an increase in noise and air pollution and congestion, and lack of infrastructure and local services.

At the south end of the proposed development site, half-a-mile away, Michelle Dewire said she cried when she read about the plans in The Star.

She has lived on Beaver Drive for 20 years and loves the green, open space.

Buzzards recently moved into the area, she says, adding to an array of wildlife that includes snakes, kestrels, bats, skylarks, woodpeckers, owls, deer and foxes.

She said: “I feel very passionate and protective of our green belt nature reserve.”

Sheffield City Council has put forward 14 green belt sites for 3,529 homes and 130 acres for business as part of the city’s Local Plan - a blueprint for development over the next 14 years.

The authority says it is the only way to meet government housing targets because brownfield sites have been ‘maximised’.

Councillors are due to take a ‘formal view’ on the 14 sites at a strategy and resources committee this afternoon.

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The proposal would then be finalised at a full council meeting on Wednesday, May 14.

Public consultation on the short-list would take place this summer before examination by government inspectors later in the year.

It is anticipated that the Local Plan will be adopted in July 2026.