Sheffield council told it needs to find extra land for 3,500 new homes - including green belt sites

Government planning inspectors have released their initial findings following their examination of the draft Local Plan for Sheffield. This document sets out in detail what types of development the council will allow for every area of the city until 2039.

A team of inspectors presided over public hearings on the draft plan for several months last year. The hearings allowed businesses, residents and organisations to challenge the details of the plan.

The major row was over a proposal to designate land off Eckington Way near Crystal Peaks as a site for travelling showpeople plus industrial units. A local campaign, backed by both Sheffield South East Labour MP Clive Betts and LibDem ward councillors, opposed the proposal.

They voiced their objections at a public hearing session held at Sheffield Town Hall last October.

The inspectors said in a letter to the council that the city needs 38,012 new homes to be built over the time of the Local Plan. It added: “There do not appear to be strong reasons to set a lower requirement linked to the application of policies to protect the green belt or other areas of importance, and it has not been shown that adverse impacts of this requirement would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.”

The inspectors’ ruling means that land for an additional 3,529 homes needs to be identified, including considering green belt sites.

They also want the council to find an additional 52.8 hectares of land for employment uses to support job creation.

The letter says: “The council has also argued that further development on the edge of Sheffield would result in unsustainable patterns of growth. However, whilst such sites may be some distance from the city centre, many areas on the edge of the city are not far from local shops, services and public transport.

“It has also not been adequately demonstrated why it is necessary to retain all remaining green belt land in order to maintain Sheffield’s reputation as the outdoor city or to tackle the climate change and biodiversity emergencies.”

The inspectors have accepted the council’s argument that high levels of housing need mean that the former Norton Aerodrome site should be released from the green belt in order to build 270 homes.

The letter continues: “However, we consider that the council’s strategy to locate development in built-up areas and on sustainably located brownfield sites in the green belt sites does not strike the right balance or represent positive planning.”

The inspectors have agreed that the plan should come into force from June 2026 but only run until 2039, rather than the usual 15 years. This is because of delays to the early part of work on preparing the plan.

A statement from the council said: “Meeting the requirements set out by the inspector will require additional careful work and is not a decision we are taking lightly.

“Having a Local Plan will enable us to provide more affordable homes and land for further skilled jobs for the people of Sheffield. Not having a Local Plan leaves the city vulnerable to unplanned development and unable to secure the right standard of development for Sheffield.

“We want to extend our thanks to the inspectors for their support and the careful consideration that has allowed us to reach this point.

“We will now be undertaking a process of identifying potential sites that we feel are suitable to ensure Sheffield’s Local Plan can continue to progress to adoption. We will be seeking to ensure that any sites proposed are sustainably located and will avoid proposing sites where there is likely to be significant ecology and landscape impacts.

“The vast majority of our green belt will remain untouched.

“Once the council has taken a formal view on the sites it feels should be put forward, a period of public consultation on these site proposals will follow in the summer, before the examination recommences later in the year.”