Firshill battles planning mess

Story & photo: Lisa Swift

Work has begun on the expansion of Sheaf Training in Roe Woods, despite anger from local residents about the use of the path through the woods for construction traffic.

The project will take at least 12 months to complete and will mean heavy vehicles using Firshill Crescent, Firshill Rise and the path alongside Roe Woods for access.

Residents of Firshill and streets near Roe Woods have been meeting with Sheffield City Council after discovering the planning application to expand Sheaf Training was granted without their knowledge.

"We only found out about it in June, and it was granted in December last year. Only a few residents on Norwood Drive were told, even though the trucks will come through Firshill and the woods," one resident explained.

Residents complained that they should have been told about the plan that will involve yet more disruption for the estate, following several major works in the last year including the school expansion, demolition of the 500 block and Decent Homes improvements.

The architect and project manager admitted that he should have included plans for access in the planning application, although planning officers claimed they had done nothing wrong in failing to include details about how heavy vehicles would access the site. Now that work has begun, Kier, who are building the extension, will be meeting regularly with Firshill Tenants and Residents Association to deal with any issues.

If you have any problems because of the construction work, you can contact Martin Godfrey at Kier on 273 5219. If issues are not resolved contact Firshill TARA on 256 0337.

Residents are determined to make sure nothing like this happens again. The committee from Firshill TARA said, "The track through the woods has always been a path for people to walk on, and we want it returned to a path, not a road. We also want to make sure that if any future application affects the estate, the Council's planning department must let us know before they give permission."

Parking restrictions are also now in force on the west side (left coming up) of Firshill Rise from its junction with Firshill Crescent to the small car-park opposite the Day Centre. The Parking Restriction Order is valid for up to 18 months from 6 September 2010.