The last Burngreave Area Panel public meeting was held in Fir Vale at the end of July 2006. About 100 people turned up to hear the latest progress reports on the various housing related developments in both Fir Vale and Burngreave that have followed from last year’s Masterplan exercise.
There was also a ‘quick fire’ question and answer session for service managers from Street Force, Sheffield Homes and South Yorkshire Police. Finally, there was another full and frank debate about the City Council’s latest exercise “Your Council, Your Say” – about people’s views on recycling, litter and rowdy behaviour. The Area Panel chairperson,
Cllr Ibrar Hussain said:
“We made a real effort to make sure that as many people as possible knew about the meeting – and it paid off. The presentations from the council officers were very clear; the questions and contributions from the audience were very well argued; the debate that followed was very constructive. There was a real thirst by everyone to make sure that this is a tool for making things happen for the better.”
Over forty questions were asked, some of which were answered on the night but others will require feedback later. They ranged from overcrowding and noise nuisance on Skinnerthorpe Road; to street lighting concerns on Popple and Robey Streets; to traffic schemes on Barnsley Road and Rushby Street; the details of the demolition and re-development programmes for Catherine Street area and Skinnerthorpe (including the ‘phasing’ of the schemes); the valuation of houses on Skinnerthorpe; the amounts of government funding available to support the improvements in Page Hall; parking on Spital Hill; and the implications of having more family houses throughout the area and sufficient school places for our children.
The Panel has agreed that everyone who attended the meeting (and left their name and address!) will receive a detailed update on all the issues raised by the end of this month. And progress will be reported to the next Panel meeting on Tuesday, 3rd October at Pitsmoor Methodist Church – junction of Christchurch and Burngreave Roads. This meeting will have a detailed discussion on new traffic schemes in the area, and the impact of previous traffic alterations. And it is hoped that there will also be a debate about how locally the council and others can help improve household waste recycling.
Bring out your rubbish
The last round of the Area Panel/Street Force ‘bring out your rubbish’ days will take place in the first two weeks of this month (September). In Burngreave, the Ellesmere area will be offered the programme, with the Wensley estate and Page Hall neighbourhood to follow. All houses will be leafleted by our friends at Green City Action – remember to follow the instructions on the leaflets as to what and when to put rubbish out!
Composting workshops
Don’t miss out on home composting workshops in early September with Green City Action and funded by the Area Panel. Contact them on 244 0353 to sign up. You can also get a garden compost bin and kitchen caddy for the subsidised offer price of £2.
Area Panel fund
Denholme improvements In august the Greenwatch Rangers and Green City Stewards worked together to put in a new all weather access path into Denholme Close open space from the bottom of Rock Street. This will allow year round access to the start of the Burngreave Round Walk. The round walk was devised by residents and put together into a really impressive booklet by Green City Action. The walk is seven miles long but can be completed in three separate sections if you do not fancy doing it all in one go.
The booklet is available from Green City Action’s offices in Abbeyfield Park House for just £1. Pick one up and you can get to know the area better.