Council asks for opinions as it centres attention on suburbs

Sheffield Council will now be asking for people's views on the

proposals through the city's seven community assemblies.

Council leader Paul Scriven said: "We want local people and business to be at the heart of developing this strategy.

"We need their opinions about which centres matter, what needs to be improved and where public investment should be prioritised.

"Over recent years, we have seen a great deal of investment and improvement in the city centre, as part of our plans to boost the city's economy.

"We want to take the same approach to improve district and local centres across the city, so that local people benefit by having easy access to good-quality facilities including shops, libraries, schools, Post Offices, community buildings and health centres.

"We also want to reduce congestion across the city and cut Sheffield's carbon footprint, which we can only do if people can access the services they need in the area they live in."

District centres, such as Broomhill, Woodseats and Banner Cross, are described as "thriving and attractive" places with good transport links, which act as "focal points" for businesses and public services.

Smaller "local centres", meanwhile, must have basic facilities such as shops, medical centres, libraries, post offices and community centres, "within a reasonable distance of home." These include neighbourhoods such as Lodge Moor, Bents Green and Fulwood.

Coun Scriven added: "Our aim is that that every community will have an attractive and thriving centre that acts as a focal point. A local space where people can live, work, shop and relax.

"We want centres that enable businesses and public services to cater to the needs of the surrounding communities and enhance people's daily lives.

"In order to do that, we need Sheffielders to tell us what they want from their district and local centres, so that we can start planning to make district and local centres the hubs of the city's communities."