19 February 2012
SDF Team
Development Services
Sheffield City Council
1 Union St
Howden House
Sheffield
S1 2SH
Dear SDF Team
SDF CONSULTATION - ADDITIONAL SITE ALLOCATION OPTIONS
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Additional Site Allocation Options
for the Sheffield Development Framework. In looking at the proposed sites, we
trust that the requirements of Policy Planning Statement 9 will be followed by the
Council, in particular the requirement for planning to contribute to urban
renaissance by enhancing biodiversity in green spaces and among developments
so that they are used by wildlife and valued by people, and ensuring that
developments take account of the role and value of biodiversity.
We have reviewed the documents and have noted that a number of sites have
identified the requirement for an ecological scoping survey before any
development can be considered. We strongly support the plans to review the
ecology of these sites and hope that the results will be used to inform the type of
development, if any, which is then considered suitable for each site. This would
then reduce the impact of housing on local wildlife. We refer in particular to the
following sites which have identified the need for ecological surveys to be carried
out:

P00502 – Wiggan Farm, Towngate Road, Worrall

P00503 – Former Sports Ground, Greaves Lane, Stannington

P00367 – Beighton Road, Woodhouse

P00509 – Scrapyard & Vacant Land at Junction Road, Woodhouse

P00517 – Canterbury Crescent, Fulwood
There are a number of sites which we feel are less straightforward and where the
impact on ecology may potentially be harmful. These are as follows:
P00506 – Hawthorne Avenue/Coppice Close
This development site is next to a Local Wildlife Site and Green Network.
Mitigation measures and a buffer zone are noted as being required, as well as an
ecology survey. We would like to see an ecology survey carried out before the site
is designated as housing development, and reviewed by the City Council’s Ecology
Unit, to identify what the mitigation measures/buffer zone might consist of, which
may have an impact on whether development would be appropriate on that site.
Headquarters
37, Stafford Road
Sheffield
S2 2SF
Tel (0114) 2634335
Fax (0114) 2634345
Email: mail@wildsheffield.com
www.wildsheffield.com
P00508 – Former Sports Ground, Bawtry Road, Tinsley
The lack of open space in Tinsley has already been noted. As the sports ground is
disused (and presumably no longer maintained), it has potential to provide a good
habitat for wildlife that may have moved in from the Local Wildlife Site adjacent on
the SE boundary. Ecology does not appear to have been considered in this
location and we advise that an ecology survey be carried out before any decision
is made.
P00499 – Dairy Distribution Centre, Hemsworth Road
The supporting information states that there is no ecology impact here. SWT would
like the old farm buildings to be checked for bats by an appropriately qualified
ecologist during the survey season and that the results area interpreted by SCC’s
Ecology Unit before any designation is agreed.
P00512 – Land at Norton Lane, Norton Oakes
The site is semi-natural open space which is valuable as part of the Strategic
Green Network. There is also a mature hedgerow which would be affected by any
development. The supporting notes state that an ecology survey is required. SWT
would like to see this ecology survey carried out and the results interpreted by the
City Council’s Ecology Unit before any designation for development is granted.
P00510 – Woodhouse East (farmland area)
This site has a Local Nature Reserve/Wildlife Site to the East along with mature
hedgerows and an active community-based environmental regeneration project
including orchard planting. The supporting notes state that an environmental buffer
and mitigation measures would be required. Development on this site is likely to
have a detrimental effect on local wildlife and detailed ecological surveys should
be carried out to identify if flora/fauna from the Nature Reserve is also utilising this
area. The results of the ecological surveys should be reviewed by the SCC’s
Ecology Unit and the local regeneration community groups before any allocation
decision is made.
Various Sites Adjacent to Waterways
There are a number of sites which are adjacent to either the River Don or the
Sheffield & Tinsley Canal. It should be noted that all watercourses in Sheffield are
designated Areas of Natural History Interest in the UDP and as Sites of Interest for
Nature Conservation (now called Local Wildlife Sites) in the Sheffield LDF.
Sheffield City Council’s forthcoming Waterside Development Supplementary
Planning Document includes among its proposed requirements for all new
buildings within 100m of the river or canal corridor:
“Green roofs shall be required on all developments unless proved incompatible
with design or conservation considerations.”
“Reduce run-off rates from previously developed sites as much as is reasonably
practical by employing SUDS techniques”
One of the key goals outlined in Sheffield Waterways Strategy Group’s (of which
SCC is a key partner) forthcoming City of Rivers report is:
“To make Sheffield’s river valleys a model for sustainable regeneration and the
promotion of biodiversity in a post-industrial city”.
The report states that:
“Proposals for river restoration should be complemented by sustainable urban
drainage, green roofs, permeable surfaces and similar features for all new
developments. Wildlife corridors and natural habitats should be protected,
extended and joined up as part of a concerted greening programme”.
The river corridors are also key ecological corridors identified in the Regional
Biodiversity Opportunity Maps, The Wildlife Trusts Living Landscapes, the draft
Sheffield Waterways Strategy and the newly published South Yorkshire Green
Infrastructure Strategy.
Sheffield Wildlife Trust would like to see the factors above fully taken into account
when looking at the following proposed development sites, which are adjacent to
waterways:

P00501 – Foley Street/Levenson Street, Attercliffe

P00131 – Darnall Works, Darnall Road, Darnall

P00516 – Gilders Car Showroom, Middlewood Road
The ‘River Don and Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation Canals Spatial
Biodiversity Action Plan’ (part of the Sheffield Biodiversity Action Plan) should also
be consulted for these sites. Sheffield Wildlife Trust can provide a full GIS copy to
any SCC planning staff who do not already have access to a copy.
Yours faithfully
Julie Riley
ECOLOGIST
Nicky Rivers
SOUTH YORKSHIRE BIODIVERSITY COORDINATOR