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FURY AS COUNCIL APPROVES BUILDING ON GREEN BELT Sheffield residents have reacted with outrage after councillors voted to approve deeply controversial plans to build on fourteen green belt sites across the city – a move critics say flies in the face of the council's own 'Outdoor City' branding and echoes the betrayal of trust seen in the infamous street tree scandal of 2016.
the sites would include affordable housing and infrastructure improvements. But such promises are cold comfort for many who feel the council’s track record on green space protection has already been discredited – not least following the 2016 tree-felling debacle, for which the council was forced to issue a public apology.
More than 3,500 homes, along with schools, cemeteries and industrial units, are now earmarked for construction on green spaces once thought protected – prompting fears of irrevocable damage to cherished landscapes and local communities.
“That scandal showed us exactly how little the council listens,” said one protester outside the town hall. “Now they want to bulldoze green fields after marketing Sheffield as the 'Outdoor City'? It’s pure hypocrisy.”
On Wednesday, a crowd of protesters gathered outside Sheffield Town Hall, many holding placards condemning the move, as councillors met to approve the Local Plan – a development blueprint stretching to 2039. Campaigners accused the authority of ignoring the voices of thousands who objected, and questioned why more brownfield land wasn’t prioritised. David Thornton, a resident of Wharncliffe Side – where more than 100 houses are proposed on a well-used community field – summed up the mood: “Residents are furious. Our village infrastructure is already stretched to the limit. This field is the heart of our community – it’s outrageous that it’s being targeted for development.”
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The public will get a chance to respond during a consultation this summer, with hearings set for autumn. But for many, the damage is already done – and trust in the council remains in short supply. Green belt sites approved in North Sheffield include: •
Creswick Avenue/Yew Lane – 609 homes, two schools, burial site
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East of Chapeltown Road – 549 homes
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South of White Lane – 304 homes
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Holme Lane Farm – 188 homes
The council insists it had no choice, citing government targets which demand an extra 3,529 homes be built on top of earlier commitments – a total of more than 38,000 by 2039. Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat councillors initially worked together on the plan, but the Lib Dems ultimately voted against it.
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Storth Lane/School Lane – 103 homes
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Wheel Lane/Middleton Lane – 148 homes
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Forge Lane – 69 homes
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Sites near Thorncliffe Road and M1 – industrial use
Council leader Tom Hunt claimed the decision was not taken lightly and pledged that
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Hesley Wood and south of M1 J35 – industrial use
Wharncliffe Side alone has seen nearly 1,000 new homes built nearby in recent years, and villagers say enough is enough.
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Green Party housing chair Douglas Johnson warned that rejecting the plan might have led to worse outcomes under government intervention. But residents say that argument avoids the real question: why hasn’t more been done to unlock brownfield land, or hold developers accountable for using it first?
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