Car sales firm in new drive to build houses at showroom site

Gilder Group has applied to Sheffield Council for permission to build 80 houses on the site of its Volkswagen dealership in Middlewood Road, Hillsborough, which has been running for more than 30 years. The land is currently occupied by several buildings including sales showrooms, a garage, offices and a large car park.

If planning permission is obtained, the dealership would be demolished and 80 three-storey town houses would be built in nine blocks of terraces on the site, which lies in between Middlewood Road, Sheffield Wednesday's training ground and the River Don.

Eight neighbours have written letters of objection to the plans and opposition has also come from Sport England and South Yorkshire Police.

The police say that, since car parking for the new homes is separated from the terraces by a tree-lined footpath and garden, vehicles will not be visible from people's homes, making them more vulnerable to criminals.

Fiona Pudge, planning manager for the Yorkshire region for Sport England, said: "The residential form of the development would be likely to place significant increased demand on existing sports and recreation facilities in the area.

"Neither playing pitch nor community sports facilities are proposed as part of the development."

Neighbours in Hillsborough have objected on the grounds of traffic, which they fear would increase in an already-congested area, the lack of parking in the area and the potential for overcrowding at local schools.

One objector told the council: "There does not seem to be any provision for visitor parking areas and surrounding streets are already full, with considerable extra traffic on days when there is a football match.

"One hundred and twenty five parking spaces for that many four-bedroomed homes seems inadequate.

"There seems to be an assumption that people who come to live in these properties will use

public transport, but the local bus or tram routes may not be suitable."

City planners, however, have advised councillors to grant planning permission at a committee meeting next week. A similar scheme was given planning approval two years ago.

The main alteration to the plans is that the developer will provide only two affordable homes for rent if the new application gets wins approval from councillors, rather than the 16 previously agreed.

In a report to go before Tuesday's meeting, the planning officers say: "The scheme is considered to be of a very high design quality that will contribute positively to the character and appearance of the area.

"The scheme includes nine blocks of terrace housing that picks up on the quality of the established and traditional built form of the surrounding area.

"It is considered that the proposed number of parking spaces would be sufficient to meet the parking needs of the property's future residents and unlikely to lead to any significant pressure for on-street parking elsewhere, while any effect on the residential amenity of neighbouring houses in terms of loss of privacy, outlook and overshadowing should be minimal."

On Monday this week, planning officers in Sheffield granted permission for Gilder Group to build 14 new homes, a "traditional-style" deli and restaurant on its former dealership at the junction of Ecclesall Road South and Psalter Lane.

Pete Sutherland, development director at Gilder Group, said he was "delighted" with the board's decision and work was scheduled to get under way in the new year.

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