Housing set to be built on the green belt

Perhaps in the year 2050, someone will write an epic history of Sheffield’s local plan. It’s a saga that’s had more twists and turns than many a novel. Last week there was another, as government inspectors told the council they’re not planning for enough houses. In particular, the green belt — hitherto seen as sacrosanct — should have some houses built on it, they argued. But they stopped short of throwing the plan out altogether. So what now? That’s today’s big story.

As well as that we have news of a historic building under threat in Walkley, a new exhibition of sculpture at the Millennium Gallery, and a beautiful apartment in an Edwardian convalescent home.

In case you missed it

As we wrote to readers on Saturday, sadly we weren’t able to bring you a weekend read due to some late breaking legal issues with the story. These kinds of issues come with the territory when you’re trying to do the kind of ambitious journalism. But we were so touched that six of you decided to join us over the weekend even when we didn’t publish anything! After a really stressful Friday trying to work out whether we could run it, it felt like a welcome vote of confidence. If you’d like to support us, and read the piece when it comes out this week, please hit that button.

Last week we sent out two very different stories to our members. In the first, Victoria spoke to people behind Rotherham’s Children’s Capital of Culture initiative, and found a town refusing to be best known for its worst period. And in the second, Dan told the dramatic story of the Park Square siege as seen through the eyes of the people who experienced it first hand. An extract from that second piece is below:

Hastily walking out of their front door and down the stairwell, they pass at least a dozen heavily armed officers. Stationed in every doorway, they’re dressed in black combat gear with helmets, head-mounted cameras, and massive Heckler & Koch assault weapons strapped to each of their bodies. There were no smiles of reassurance as they passed. “It was absolutely terrifying,” says Finlay. The couple are shepherded out of a back exit and onto the street. “We get out of the building and it’s just blue, the entire street is just blue,” Finlay recalls. Looking around he counts at least four police cars, five ambulances and a fire engine. More will follow in the next few minutes.

Editor’s note: Are you a freelance writer? We’re looking for new voices to bring intriguing stories to our audience. Get in touch at editor@sheffieldtribune.co.uk to tell us a bit about you, give us a few examples of your previous work, and pitch us your ideas. We pay for every piece we publish.

The big picture: Fronds forever 🌴

Sheffield Botanical Gardens is looking stunning in this great photograph by Instagram snapper Seasons of Sheffield. The pavilions, which were designed by Sheffield architect Benjamin Broomhead Taylor and opened in 1836, were restored in 2003 thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant. The gardens are currently open daily from 8am until 3.50pm.

The big story: Housing set to be built on the green belt 🏡

Top line: Government inspectors have run the rule over Sheffield’s latest draft local plan — and given it the equivalent of a half-hearted 6 out of 10. The plan, as it stands, doesn’t provide for enough houses, in their view. So it’s back to the drawing board…

The numbers: The plan covers the period 2022-2039. But how many new dwellings does Sheffield need in that time? That depends who you’re asking…

• 38,012 was the number the government came up with at the first time of asking. This is based upon what they expect to happen with population and jobs in Sheffield over that time. It works out at 2,236 dwellings per year.
• But then the (previous) government had a rethink. Having decided that more of the UK’s development should happen in cities they gave that number a 35% boost. That took it to 51,306.
• The council have said they can’t possibly achieve that number, given Sheffield’s tight-fitting green belt. Instead, they’ve planned for 34,680 new dwellings.

Meet me in the middle: The inspectors have agreed with the Council that the 51k number is pie in the sky. But they think 34k is too low, arguing that “meeting identified housing needs is also an important objective.” They want Sheffield to plan for the original baseline number (38,012) instead.

Green belt up for grabs? The upshot is that some green belt sites will have to be released to find space for the extra 3,500 odd homes. Though the council had argued that this would create “unsustainable patterns of growth”, the inspectors say that “many areas on the edge of the city are not far from local shops, services and public transport.” They also note that a previous council review found that some green belt sites only got “low” or “moderate” scores on criteria such as protecting the countryside and stopping settlements merging. 

This means Sheffield Council will have to consult on which green belt sites will be set aside for development — something bound to prove controversial. One site has already been agreed: the Norton Aerodrome, a former RAF base. But it’s politically easy to build on brownfield land — now Sheffield Council are going to have to look at some greenfield (i.e. not previously built upon) sites as well.

It’ll all be over by Christmas next June: The nuclear option would have been for the government inspectors to tell Sheffield to rip it up and start again. But instead, the council has been given another eight months on the timeline, meaning a plan might finally be adopted by June 2026.

Child's play: A source within the planning community tells us that this response is “a real fudge”. The council have been lucky — ministers have been telling planners across the country that work on plans should be delayed for a maximum of six months, and if not, they need to start again. But we're told that lead inspector Katie Child has a “reputation for getting councils out of awkward situations”. That seems to be what's happening here, with the inspectors making an exception, and essentially arguing that what Sheffield needs is not more process, but actually to get a local plan agreed at long last.

Just call us Nostradamus: The Tribune hates to say it, but we did see this (or something like it) coming. In our predictions at the start of the year we divined that the local plan wouldn’t get done by the October 2025 deadline. That now looks certain.

The weekly Whitworth ✏️

Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on the news that The Leadmill have less than four months to vacate the premises after their landlord was granted possession of their building.

Your Tribune briefing 🗞️

🏭 A steel manufacturer that employs hundreds of people in Rotherham and Stocksbridge is teetering on the brink of collapse, with most of its plants having “stood idle” for months. “I’ve never seen the company in such a poor condition,” a steelworker from Speciality Steel UK, a subsidiary of Liberty Steel, told The Star. The company was supposed to reach an agreement with its creditors by 17th February, which would write off most of its existing debt, but will now continue to negotiate for another month. 

🏡 A Walkley property which played an important role in securing working class men the vote is under threat of demolition. The Victorian detached house was built by the Freedom Hill Land Society to allow its owner to meet the threshold of property ownership, something that at the time was essential to be allowed to vote. Developer Time Architects have been granted permission to remove the house and replace it with three apartments. Objections to the demolition have been lodged by campaigners from Hallamshire Historic Buildings.

🏗️ Sheffield is home to more than 2,000 cultural and creative businesses which provide around 9,000 jobs. That is just one of the interesting facts in this piece in The Art Newspaper which looks at how culture and heritage are fueling regeneration in Sheffield. The piece focuses on the three projects being funded from the £20 million Levelling Up grant that the council won in 2021, including the new music education centre Harmony Works, the new S1 Artspace building, and the work going on at the castle site to create a new events park and uncover the River Sheaf.

✈️ The BBC visited Endcliffe Park over the weekend to report on the 81st anniversary of the Mi Amigo crash, although a familiar face wasn’t mentioned in their piece. We’ve reported before on the claims and counter-claims surrounding Tony Foulds, the pensioner who rocketed the memorial into the headlines in 2019 and insists he is the only person still alive who saw the plane actually hit the ground. For their piece, the BBC spoke to Sqn Ldr Barry Darwin, who was four at the time of the crash and recalls a huge plume of black smoke. “Every time I come to check on this memorial another person comes up to me and says 'I was there, I remember it'."

This week’s weather 🌥️

Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say this week will turn cooler after a mild start with rain/showers more isolated after midweek as high pressure builds in.

Monday 🌦 Breezy and changeable from the west with sunshine and showery spells of rain. Drier later in the day before a cooler night. Highs of 12°C.

Tuesday 🌦 Feeling cooler with another mixed bag of sunshine and occasional showers. Breezy again from the west with clear spells overnight. Highs of 9°C.

Wednesday 🌦 An unsettled day from the southwest with rain through the morning clearing to showers. Chance of frost overnight with highs of 8°C.

Thursday ⛅ Generally dry and fine with lighter winds and some sunshine. Feeling rather chilly with a widespread frost overnight. Highs of 8°C.

Friday 🌥 Mainly dry once again with bright or sunny spells perhaps turning hazy later on. Risk of overnight rain. Light southerly winds and highs of 9°C.

Outlook: A little milder through the weekend but low pressure also likely to bring some rain at times. Brighter intervals too with SW winds picking up once again.

To see the full forecast and keep up to date with any changes to the outlook, follow Steel City Skies on Facebook.

Home of the week 🏡

Whiteley Woods House was built in 1901 as the George Woofindin Convalescent Home, but has now been converted into luxury flats. This two double bedroom apartment comes with a private south facing terrace and a secure covered car port space with a lock-up storage unit. It is also set in communal grounds that extend to 14 acres. It is on the market for £369,950.

Tribune tips: If you have a story or want to tell us some information, please get in touch with us by emailing editor@sheffieldtribune.co.uk. We are happy to speak to people off the record, and we guarantee we will treat your information with confidence and sensitivity.

Things to do 📆

Art 🖼️ On now at the Millennium Gallery is These Mad Hybrids, a collection of Sheffield born artist John Hoyland’s rarely seen sculptures, exhibited alongside work by Caroline Achaintre, Phyllida Barlow, Hew Locke and more. Best known for his abstract paintings, Hoyland began experimenting with sculpture relatively late in his career, but they have only ever been on display once since he made them in 1994. Entrance to the exhibition is free.

Music 🎸 To Firth Hall on Wednesday come The Breath, the acclaimed Manchester-based folk two-piece formed of guitarist Stuart McCallum and singer/flautist Ríoghnach Connolly. The Breath have released three albums on Peter Gabriel's Real World label and in 2019 were nominated at the BBC Folk Awards for the best duo/group award. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start and the band will play two sets with an interval. Estimated finish 9.45pm.

Theatre 🎭 Starting on Thursday at the Crucible Playhouse is Pig Heart Boy, a play based on Malorie Blackman’s novel. Cameron is 13, and all he wants is to be normal; have friends, go to school, and dive to the bottom of the swimming pool. But he desperately needs a heart transplant and time is running out. When he is finally offered a new heart, he has to choose how far he’ll go to get his life back. Tickets are priced £15 and the show runs until 15 March.