Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust are delighted by the decision by Sheffield City Council’s Planning & Highways Committee to refuse planning permission for a housing development application on Owlthorpe Fields in Mosborough.
Whilst we appreciate the need for new housing in Sheffield, we had a number of serious concerns regarding the application for this site, to which we objected. Our CEO Liz Ballard gave a statement to the Committee alongside other objectors including Clive Betts MP, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and Owlthorpe Fields Action Group. Our comments included concerns about the piecemeal approach to considering development of the whole site as three separate parcels, the lack of an Environmental Impact Assessment, questions about the way in which Biodiversity Net Gain for the site was calculated and impacts from the development on wildlife, veteran trees, hedgerows and a Local Wildlife Site.
We were pleased to hear several of the issues in our comments also raised by Councillors in the Committee, who overwhelmingly voted against the application, with two abstentions. For more information see news story here.
We wish to congratulate Owlthorpe Fields Action Group on their successful campaign against this proposal.
Our planning work would not be possible without the ongoing support of our members. Together we can continue this important work of influencing relevant policies and strategies where they can have an impact on wildlife. Thank you.
To find out more about our planning work see here.
(c) Grey Squirrel – Gillian Day