Labour Councillors are supporting plans that have been developed by Sheffield City Council to protect the green belt from development in the city.
The council recently undertook a public consultation on the Local Plan – a planning process looking at how to provide the housing needs for Sheffield over the next 15 years. Housing targets for the city are imposed by central government, and the government targets for new properties has led to some local authorities across the country building on the green belt.
To ensure these new houses can be delivered in Sheffield without the need to develop on green spaces the council has developed a new plan, Option A, developing the majority of these new homes on brownfield sites closer to the city centre and protecting the green belt.
Under the national legislation imposed on councils by government, many areas across the country have been forced to build on green belt. Due to the importance of protecting green spaces across Sheffield the council is undertaking a new piece of work to look at how the development of new homes in central Sheffield can be maximised. This will have the additional benefits of supporting the economic development of the City Centre, as well as providing a more environmentally sustainable option.
The consultation on the new plans closed last week and Labour councillors in a number of wards looking to protect local green belt sites submitted their responses underlining the importance of the local spaces in their areas and are backing Option A to protect them.
Councillor Bob Johnson, Cabinet Member for Transport and Development
“Sheffield is rightly known as the Outdoor City and we know how important many of the green spaces are to making up the character of communities across the city.
“The Government targets that have been imposed across the country are really high in Sheffield, we are determined that this does not force us to be in a position where developers are able to build on some of the green spaces that are the most important to our communities.
“That’s why we’ve been developing the new Central Area Strategy over the past year which will allow us to focus more development around the city centre on brownfield sites and protect our green belt.”
Councillor Tony Downing, Labour Councillor for Mosborough, said:
“We have some fantastic green spaces on Mosborough which are valued by local people. I have been working with local residents for many years to try to keep the protection for these spaces and I am really pleased that despite the Government’s approach, on a local level we are putting plans in place which protect our green spaces.”
Councillor Julie Grocutt, Labour Stocksbridge Councillor said:
“We know that the Conservative Government are bringing forward plans to make it easier for developers to build on our green spaces. I am really pleased that locally we are doing all we can locally to demonstrate we can meet our housing targets whilst protecting the green belt.
“I have campaigned to protect sites in Stocksbridge like Hollin Busk from development and was really pleased when the planning committee rejected an application to build on it earlier this year. I’m backing Option A so we can continue to protect our green spaces which are so important to people in Stocksbridge.”
Councillor Andy Bainbridge, Labour East Ecclesfield Councillor, said:
“I am committed to seeing our green spaces in Ecclesfield and Chapeltown are protected and I have submitted a response to the consultation giving my full backing to Option A.
“Local residents rightly value their green spaces and I believe it is sensible to have a focus within the central area of Sheffield, mainly in the City Centre, whilst reusing land such as former industrial sites”.
Notes
- Please see the link to the ‘Issues and Options Document’ which has been consulted on
- Please see the Central Area Strategy which has been developed to deliver more of Sheffield’s housing target in central Sheffield and protect the green belt
