‘Have your say’ call over sites earmarked for new housing

A total of 21 pieces of land, in areas from Oughtibridge and Stocksbridge in the north of the city to Norton Oakes in the south, have been identified by the authority as spots that could potentially be built on between now and 2027.

This comes as the Government is calling upon councils across the country to identify enough land for new homes, due to a national housing shortage.

A public consultation, which will run until the end of next month, has now been launched by Sheffield Council on the proposals.

It is understood that some of the sites that have been earmarked could help meet housing needs within the next five years, but the plans are mainly to ensure that there is enough housing land to meet requirements for the next 10 to 15 years.

Coun Helen Mirfin–Boukouris, Sheffield Council’s cabinet member for jobs and growth, said: “We are under pressure from the Government to identify enough land for future new homes.

“We also want to protect as much of Sheffield’s green space as we can. With the pressure on land there are some hard choices to make.

“This land is not going to be built on overnight - it’s about having a plan of land supply for the future.

“If we do not identify enough land then developers could ask to build in places where we do not want them to, like in the green belt.

“We don’t want this to happen. We want to try and protect as much of Sheffield’s green space as we can.

“We want to hear your views on potential sites for new homes so that we can identify land together, rather than have other people dictate what is right for our city.“

One of the largest sites that has been identified is an area of farmland in Woodhouse East, where up to 220 new homes could be built.

Meanwhile, up to 100 houses could be created at Darnall Works in Darnall, on a six-hectare site that is home to Grade Two-listed buildings.

Council documentation says that a “flexible approach to land uses” at the site could “help secure new uses for important historic buildings and assist regeneration of a site formerly in industrial use.”

Beighton Road in Woodhouse has been earmarked as suitable for up to 90 new houses, while the Gilders car showroom in Middlewood Road could potentially accommodate up to 80 homes.

Although the site is currently used as a car showroom, it has had previous planning permission for 80 homes.

Up to 95 new houses could be built on a former sports ground in Bawtry Road, Tinsley, while two reservoirs in Crookes - off Blakeney Road and Evelyn Road - could be decommissioned by Yorkshire Water and turned into land suitable for up to 60 houses.

A council spokesman said yesterday: “If enough new land is not identified, then developers could ask for permission to build new homes on land that should be protected.

“Even if the council turns down a planning application, an external planning inspector could let them build on the site by default if it is concluded that there are not enough potential sites. This has already happened in other places such as Leeds. “

Coun Mirfin–Boukouris added: “We have some important decisions to make and we want to make sure that local people have their say and feed into the process.

“If we don’t make this decision together then it could be taken out of our hands.

“The national housing shortage has to be given a priority, however identifying potential housing sites locally allows us to have our own say, rather than risk having decisions imposed on the city.”

The consultation period will end on Monday, February 27.