Gleadless Valley Masterplan: Sheffield Council admits plan has stalled and calls for rethink

Following consultation dating back to 2018, the council published the masterplan in 2022, which promised to revitalise the deprived council estate with improvements to council homes, new social housing, transformation of public spaces and better shops, services and job opportunities.

The original budget was set at £94m in 2021 but a report to the council’s strategy and resources meeting taking place next Thursday (August 29) shows that could rise as high as £195m over the 11-year span of the project. The council mainly blames rocketing construction costs following the pandemic, cost-of-living crisis and war in Ukraine.

If the committee agrees, the council’s rethink will involve setting up a new Gleadless Valley Partnership Board. This would seek to bring together residents and community groups with senior council leaders and businesses and organisations working on the scheme to oversee the overall strategy.

A delivery group in the council would drive the work.

The masterplan would be updated to focus on what essential works can be delivered quickly and efficiently. The council would also begin engaging more closely with the community, listening to frustrations over how the project has been implemented previously and working to re-establish trust in it.

The report admits: “Due to insufficient funding, delivery of the major capital works proposed within the masterplan has stalled. Rehousing discussions with the first residents to be affected were scheduled to begin in 2023 in order to inform the detailed brief for the first phase of redevelopment but this has not been possible.

“There is significant frustration among residents, many of whom are living inpoor housing conditions and waiting for improvements or a new home.”

The area has high social deprivation levels affecting 69.5% of households, 47.9% of residents are not working and 29.3% have no qualifications. All these figures are significantly higher than the city average.

Levels of residents with disabilities or poor health are also higher than average and only half of households have a car.

The report adds: “Of all areas of the city, Gleadless Valley had the highest number of new tenancies started over a 10-year period, reflecting the low desirability of much of the council housing on the estate.”

The council is seeking to reassure residents that the work will not halt for 12 months but will continue. It says that achievements over the past 12 months include:

• The demolition of the former SheffCare site at Paddock Hill and pending demolition of Castelayn to make way for affordable homes;
• Working with the council’s planned repairs team to establish a task force to tackle all outstanding repairs in homes identified in the masterplan for potential demolition;
• Redevelopment of Hemsworth Playing Fields;
• Consultation and progression towards delivery of Spotswood Green Space with a focus on outdoor play for young people;
• Improvements on the way for Newfield Green and Gaunt Shopping Precincts that will be funded through the Economic Recovery Fund, a grant fund to support local high streets.
• The report also talks about identifying other ‘quick win’ projects that could be delivered.

An updated timetable would see housing condition surveys and refurbishment feasibility studies starting this autumn, finishing next spring. Consultation on refurbishment and development proposals would run during the spring and summer of 2025, with the aim of starting refurbishment work by spring 2026.

Work on new housing developments would get underway in 2027.

The report recommends that the council writes to all residents who are waiting to see when work will start on their blocks to tell them that this will be reviewed over the coming year and may change or possibly not go ahead.

It adds: “This will not provide certainty but will give some indication of the timescale for a decision and is an honest summary of the situation, given that we intend to review and refresh the masterplan proposals and that insufficient council funding is available to deliver these works and considerable uncertainty about the ability to secure external funding.”

Council leader Coun Tom Hunt said: “As a council, we appreciate that residents will be feeling frustrated at the actions which have not been able to be implemented from the Gleadless Valley regeneration masterplan since it was approved.

“We are looking at a new approach to implementing that regeneration masterplan to bring improvements for the residents of Gleadless Valley. We hope that we can continue working closely with you all to achieve this.”

Housing committee chair Coun Douglas Johnson said: “We know the residents of Gleadless Valley have been waiting for much-needed renovations to be carried out on the social housing in their area. The more focused approach to this regeneration will help the council deliver on these proposals.

“A new task force to tackle all outstanding repairs will also help us improve the quality of available housing so we ask tenants to keep reporting repairs to us.”

Dean Butterworth, city head of housing investment and maintenance, commented: “Despite the challenges the council has faced in delivering on this regeneration masterplan, there have been projects which have progressed well and we will continue striving to deliver on more of these in the future.

“The demolition of the former SheffCare site at Paddock Hill to make way for affordable homes is an example of how we working on the improvements outlined for the area. We know there is more to do, and we will concentrate on the delivery of the plan as a priority.”

To keep updated, head to Gleadless Valley Regeneration on Facebook or visit the council website at https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/planning-development/master-action-plans/gleadless-valley-master-plan. You can sign up for a newsletter on the page.