Setback in bid to use school site
for parking

Millhouses Traders’ Association is appealing for public support after a plan to use an unused school site for parking was refused.

Only a small number of parking spaces are available for visitors to the shopping area, which has led to the owners of the Millhouses pub, WL Leisure, allowing the public to use its car park before opening at midday.

The association’s Christmas parking plan is supported by a Liberal Democrat member for Ecclesall, Coun Diane Stimley, who said: “The Abbeydale Grange School site at the bottom of Hastings Road could and should provide some parking spaces for the community to shop locally.”

But Sheffield Council has claimed opening up a car park at the old school would pose a health and safety risk.

Jane Bradley, of the Millhouses Traders’ Association, said: “It is extremely disappointing that we do not have the support of Sheffield City Council to open up the unused parking area at the old 
Abbeydale Grange School.

“The Traders’ Association is committed to ensuring we have the best possible chance to succeed in these difficult economic times and making it easier for customers to visit the shops is a huge part of this.”

Coun Bryan Lodge, the council’s member for finance and resources, said: “In the run up to Christmas we will be working on site with heavy machinery, drilling deep excavation holes as part of plans to move the site on to the next phase of development.

“It would therefore be totally unsafe and wrong of us to allow motorists to park their cars on the site.

“We cannot risk people’s health and safety.

“Coupled with this is the fact that the site is not lit at night and is not wardened, exposing people to potentially be targeted by criminals.”