Villagers split over homes and car park plan

Much of the land in Wortley, north of Sheffield, is owned by Wharncliffe Estates, a trust set up after Wortley Hall was sold to the trade union movement by the fourth Earl of Wharncliffe in 1959.

The village lies on the edge of the Peak District, is popular with tourists and walkers, and its location on the busy A629 between Sheffield and Huddersfield means it is a sought-after address.

But while the atmosphere seems tranquil to visitors, a fierce argument is currently under way over the plans, with some of the village’s 600 residents calling for implementation while others are in vehement opposition.

The 10-year blueprint was first circulated to Wortley Parish Council, which also covers surrounding hamlets of Howbrook and Bromley, early this year and two public meetings were organised to discuss it.

But a row broke out after the first meeting in February, when a vote was taken in favour of the scheme, and a letter was written to the land agents to tell them that no objections had been raised.

Parish council chairman Roger England, who was on holiday for the February meeting, said: “There were 17 people at the first meeting including the councillors and they voted 11 to four in favour. After that quite a lot of people in the village were outraged and they came to the second meeting and said that a lot of vested interests had turned up to vote for the plan and get it through quickly.”

The most controversial proposals included in the plan are the one-way traffic system and a new “woodland car park” in a copse on Wortley Hall’s drive, an idea that has left many residents horrified.

Lady Rowena Stuart Wortley, the daughter of the fourth Earl of Wharncliffe, who sold Wortley Hall, still lives in the village, alongside several members of her extended family.

Mr England said: “People are upset because Wharncliffe Estates workers have already marked up some of the trees in the copse for felling. It has really raised the discussion levels in the village.

“The idea of the car park has got people’s imaginations going, they have all sorts of lurid ideas about what might happen there, although we’ve been told somebody would close it at night.”

Other plans set out in the Wharncliffe Estates plan include a second car park for the village shops, which include a post office, tea rooms and farm shop, a play area and several areas of new housing.

Postmistress Su Sanger said the plans had led to a great deal of talk in the village and added: “From a business point of view, the village does need more people in order for it to be sustainable.

“All villages should have a plan these days. The most controversial thing is definitely the most controversial thing, but it could be years before any of it ever happens.”

Some villagers were happy to talk about their opposition or support for the plans, but were not prepared to be identified for fear of upsetting the land agents at Wharncliffe Estates or their neighbours.

One woman said: “It is a strange village because you have got people who have lived here for years, who live in Wharncliffe Estate-owned houses and who are generally loyal to the Wharncliffe family.

“Then there are people who live in private houses who have moved in from outside who don’t have that, and they want to see the village preserved as it is, when others want it to move forward.”

A postal consultation has now been organised by the parish council, with a questionnaire sent to every address in the parish which should be returned by May 4.

Everything included in the plan is still subject to planning consent. Nobody from Wharncliffe Estates, or their architects, Barnsley-based Chris Carr associates, could be contacted for comment yesterday.