Friends of the Loxley Valley launch 'virtual' leaflet drive to publicise fighting fund
Friends of the Loxley Valley have launched a 'virtual' leaflet drive to publicise our 'Save Loxley valley' fighting fund appeal.
As we write this, the Covid emergency is at its height. The Government's chief medical officer has urged us to think very carefully every time we leave the house.
So we have shelved plans to ask our members to deliver thousands of leaflets around our community.
Instead we are making our latest campaign leaflet available for download on this website.
And we are asking everyone who supports us to help to spread the word.
Please click here to download our campaign update leaflet
We won't repeat everything we've said in the leaflet. It will speak for itself, we hope.
Our aim is to help everyone locally to understand the challenge we face at the planning inquiry in April. And why we need to raise thousands of pounds to make our case!
Like our previous leaflets, it's double sided. The first side doubles up as a poster for noticeboards and everyone's windows. The second side updates things in more detail.
Please download it. Share it on social media. Email it to your personal contacts. Tell your family, friends and neighbours about it. Print a copy and post it in your window. Put a copy on your local noticeboard if we haven't got there yet ourselves.
If you can think of other ideas, so much the better! We need to do all we can to spread the word so that supporters who can afford it can chip in to the fighting fund.
The Covid challenge
Patrick Properties submitted their planning application to build a new township on the old Hepworth site after the Covid crisis had begun.
Since then, we haven't been able to hold a meeting to let people in the community talk to each other.
We haven't been able to sit down in a room together to plan our campaign.
And we haven't been able to go to the offices of our councillors and MPs to discuss our concerns.
We were not able to go to the Town Hall for the usual planning meeting and to lobby for support.
Now we face a 'virtual' planning inquiry in April, and our ability to communicate with everyone is constrained.
But with your help we hope we can continue to spread the message. The support has been humbling and amazing so far. Thank you!
'Why did Sheffield City Council sent me a Loxley valley planning letter just before Christmas?'
It's a good question, and one that many people around the Loxley valley will have been asking as this official letter arrived with the Christmas cards at the end of last year.
So we've posted this web page to try to explain, and to provide some guidance on how you might want to respond.
Patrick Properties have appealed against the council's refusal of planning permission
Sheffield City Council refused planning permission for a township of up to 300 homes on the old 'Hepworth' brickworks site in the Loxley valley.
The developers, Patrick Properties Strategic Land, are appealing against that decision.
They hope to persuade a Planning Inspector that the council got it wrong, and that the decision should be overturned.
They will present their case to a public planning inquiry starting on Monday, April 12th. It is likely to last for ten days.
The council will fight the appeal. They will present their own evidence, arguing they applied planning policies correctly. They want the refusal to stand.
Friends of the Loxley Valley intend to support the council. We hope to present our own evidence too. We think a huge unsustainable housing scheme would be disastrous for the Loxley valley.
So, back to the question: 'Why have I got this letter?'
You will have received the letter if you made your views known to the council before the original planning decision.
Over 900 local people and organisations objected to the planning application and wrote to the Sheffield planners to air their concerns.
The council has written to you now so that YOUR views can be made known to the planning inquiry if you want this to happen.
You can do this in two ways.
Firstly, if you are happy with your original objection, you do not need to do anything. The council will pass your objection on to the Planning Inspector. He will read it, and he will take it into account with all the other evidence.
Can I make additional points to the Planning Inspector?
Yes. If you want to add to your original objection, you can do that too. This is the second way of making your views known.
We have drafted a guidance note to explain how you can do that, and how to make sure your views are taken into account.
But you must now act quickly! The deadline for representations is Wednesday, January 20th.
You may also want to read the detailed Statement of Case that forms the basis of the appeal by Patrick Properties. We think many of their arguments are weak, and we intend to challenge them at the inquiry.
You can download both documents here:
Please click here to download our FoLV guidance note
Click here to download the Patrick Properties Statement of Case
Can I make my views known if I didn't object to the original planning application?
Yes! Everybody has the democratic right to make their views known to the Planning Inspector.
It is not too late to set out your concerns. A huge housing development would affect all our lives locally, for example through the impact on local roads and services.
If you are worried about this, you have the right to make your case heard.
But if you do write, try to set down evidence to support your fears. For example, if you feel Loxley Road is already carrying too much traffic, set out your experiences and concerns.
Please see our guidance link in the previous section of this post.
Please help us by donating to our Fighting Fund now
Friends of the Loxley Valley is run entirely by community volunteers. We're happy to provide the guidance and information on this website free of charge.
But we will need expert professional help so that we can present strong evidence at the planning inquiry.
We need to raise thousands of pounds so that we can pay for professional planning experts. They will help us to prepare and present our case.
The more we can raise; the stronger we hope our case will be. And the more we raise, the more professional expertise and representation we can secure.
We and our campaign partners CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire have set up a fighting fund appeal to raise the money.
Click here to learn more about our fighting fund appeal
Or, please click here if you'd like to donate money NOW
Thank you! We know how hard everyone's finances are pushed at the moment. But every donation, however small, will really help us on our way!
Friends of the Loxley Valley have launched a fundraising drive to fight plans for the Loxley valley township.
Our 'Save Loxley valley' fighting fund is being run jointly with our campaign partners CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire.
We are appealing for donations to help us ensure local concerns are voiced effectively at a planning inquiry hearing later this year.
If you'd like to donate, you can give money NOW using the online site GoFundMe:
Please click here to donate money now
Why do we need the money?
The fighting fund will help us to prepare for a public planning inquiry later this year.
Developers Patrick Properties have appealed against Sheffield City Council's refusal of planning permission.
They want to build up to 300 homes on the redundant Hepworth refractory works at the valley's heart..
A Planning Inspector will hear their case at an inquiry beginning on Monday 12th April.
The hearing is likely to be held online, and will last for an estimated ten days.
Sheffield City Council are fighting the appeal, arguing there were good grounds for refusing planning permission.
We support the council, but we also want the Planning Inspector to be in no doubt about how strongly local people feel.
What will the money pay for?
Your donations will help us to pay for professional planning experts and legal representation to help us to fight our case.
And the more you give, the greater our chances of winning and defending the city's democratic decision!
We believe that the Loxley valley deserves a better solution than unsustainable mass housing.
Even a small donation will help us on our way. Every single pound donated WILL make a difference and will help us to save the Loxley valley from urban sprawl.
This link will take you to the GoFundMe account where you can donate money now
You can donate using a PayPal account, or by using a debit or credit card.
The fighting fund money is being held in a secure ring-fenced charity bank account by our campaign partners CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire.
If you are a taxpayer, please tick the 'Gift Aid' box when you make your donation. This means the charity can claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give.
It won't cost you any extra, but it will help your money to go further and to work harder!
If you would prefer to donate by cheque, please make your cheque payable to CPRE PDSY. Please write 'Loxley valley appeal' on the back of the cheque, and send it to the following address:
CPRE PDSY,
Victoria Hall,
37 Stafford Road.
S2 2SF.
Developers Patrick Properties have said they intend to appeal against refusal of planning permission for their Loxley valley housing scheme.
The company's agents, Avison Young, have written to Sheffield City Council giving them formal notification of the appeal process.
They say the appeal is likely to be submitted on Wednesday, 4th November.
Then a formal public planning inquiry is likely to follow in the new year.
The letter to the council estimates the length of the inquiry at ten days.
The appeal follows refusal of planning permission for a township of up to 300 homes on the old Hepworth refractory site, as reported earlier on this website.
The planning application attracted widespread opposition, leading to over 900 objections from local people and organisations.
Friends of the Loxley Valley's reaction
Friends of the Loxley Valley are disappointed to hear of the appeal.
Now we must wait to learn more about the company's grounds for appeal.
Once we know more, we will work closely with campaign partners including CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire to give voice to local concerns at the appeal hearing.
We and the CPRE will monitor developments closely and will do our best to keep the community informed as things progress.
Please click here to read or download the notification letter to the council
Please click here to read our post about the original planning application
Please click here to read our post about the refusal of planning permission
The countryside charity CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire has welcomed our campaign victory against plans for a new Loxley valley township.
CPRE PDSY has written an open letter to Friends of the Loxley Valley following the Sheffield City Council decision to refuse planning permission.
The charity's chief executive Tomo Thompson congratulates Friends of the Loxley valley on a successful campaign.
His letter says the campaign follows the best traditions of Sheffield's rural communities making their voices heard.
"Sheffield and its surrounding towns and villages have a long and rich history in standing up for themselves and for what is right," he says.
"The disgruntled nattering at the bus stop, down the pub, and over the garden fence gains traction until streets, communities, villages, and towns join together and try to endeavour to put right what communities believe to be wrong.
"The success of the Friends of the Loxley Valley campaign is the most recent example of this."
Friends of the Loxley Valley worked with CPRE SYPD and many other local organisations to object to the proposed new township.
The campaign resulted in over 900 objections from local people and groups, including our councillors and MPs.
Patrick Properties Strategic Land Ltd proposed up to 300 homes on the abandoned refractory works site in the valley bottom.
They bought the old factories two years ago. They have stood empty since Hepworth plc stopped production in the 1990s.
But Sheffield City Council's Planning Committee has voted unanimously to REFUSE planning permission.
Friends of the Loxley Valley response
Friends of the Loxley Valley have thanked CPRE SYPD for the warm and supportive letter.
We are also extremely grateful for the specialist support they have given us for many years.
We appreciate this expertise comes at a considerable cost for a small charity.
The charity's letter sets out how local people can support their work.
Please click here to read the letter in full if you would like to learn more
Please click here if you would like to visit the CPRE PDSY website
Thanks to everybody else who's standing up for the Loxley valley
Friends of the Loxley Valley have been overwhelmed by the passionate support we've received in recent months.
Many thousands of people have visited this website and followed our social media channels.
Hundreds upon hundreds of you put pen to paper to voice your concerns to the city council planners.
And your voices were echoed and supported by your elected MPs and councillors.
Also by numerous local organisations who added their expert knowledge. We won't list everybody here for fear of missing someone out. You KNOW who you are, and we're grateful and humbled.
A special shout-out as well to the people who joined us and the Loxley Valley Design Group in speaking to the Planning Committee:
our Stannington ward councillor, Penny Baker
Andy Tickle from CPRE PDSY
Nicky Rivers from the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust
Robin Hughes from the Hallamshire Historic Buildings Society
And a shout-out too for our sister organisation, the Rivelin Valley Conservation Group, who've stood by us all the way.
Thanks everyone!!
Countryside charity CPRE South Yorkshire condemns plans for Loxley valley township
Our campaign partners CPRE South Yorkshire have posted a scathing objection to plans for a new township of 300 homes in the heart of the Loxley valley.
They say the township proposed by developers Patrick Properties would damage Sheffield's precious Green Belt countryside.
And they warn it would transform the beauty and openness of a much-loved valley on the edge of the Peak District National Park.
The developers claim the new township on the site of long-abandoned old factories would create a 'sustainable' new settlement.
But the CPRE dismiss this claim as 'laughable'. They say it would be remote from the local services needed by hundreds of new residents.
They say it would swamp local roads with extra cars. This would add to congestion and air pollution at a time of climate emergency.
The CPRE urge Sheffield councillors to throw the plans out
The comments from CPRE South Yorkshire are contained in a detailed objection to the Sheffield City Council planning department.
The council's planning committee must decide whether to approve the planning application. CPRE South Yorkshire say it should be thrown out.
Their main points are as follows:
The township would encroach on open countryside and would breach both local and national Green Belt policies
It would be remote, isolated and unsustainable, pushing up dependence on car journeys at a time of climate emergency
The site is not designated for housing and is not needed for housing, as Sheffield is now building enough houses elsewhere
It would do little to meet local demand for affordable housing
The township would urbanise a quiet site on the edge of the Peak District National Park and would damage nature conservation and biodiversity
The CPRE also say the plans are far too vague, as the developers are seeking only 'outline' planning permission.
They warn the developers would then sell the land to housebuilders, who would not be tied to detailed planning approval.
The full CPRE South Yorkshire objection is available from this website. Please click here to read or download it
There's still time to post your OWN objection! Our new leaflet gives guidance on how to do it. Please click here to read it
Who are CPRE South Yorkshire?
CPRE South Yorkshire are the local branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, otherwise known as the 'countryside charity'.
Their aim is to make the countryside a better place for everyone to live, work and enjoy.
CPRE South Yorkshire have a sister organisation, Friends of the Peak District, who work to safeguard Britain's first national park.
The Peak District is of course on our doorstep here in the Loxley valley!
We have worked closely with CPRE South Yorkshire and Friends of the Peak District for many years.
Our joint goal is to celebrate and safeguard our beautiful valley and to protect it from damaging development.
The CPRE is an independent charity. It has a small team in Sheffield who are all experienced and passionate experts on the city's countryside.
If you share our joint goals, we would urge you to support the charity in its work.
You can make a very real difference by making a modest donation. Or perhaps you might like to become a member?
Click here to learn more about how you can support CPRE South Yorkshire
Friends of the Loxley Valley deliver thousands of 'No Township!' leaflets
Friends of the Loxley Valley have printed thousands of leaflets to let people know that there is now more time to comment on plans for a new township in the heart of the valley.
Our members are now delivering the leaflets to every home and business in the valley, and to neighbouring areas like Hillsborough and Walkley.
The leaflets give guidance on how to make your views known to the Sheffield City Council planning committee.
They explain why there is more time to comment – the official statutory consultation period now ends on July 30th.
And they summarise progress in the #NoLoxleyTownship campaign so far.
Nearly 800 individuals and organisations have objected at the time of writing this post.
They include the Peak District National Park Authority, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the Rivelin Valley Conservation Group, plus our two MPs and local councillors.
The leaflet is also available electronically. It includes links that you can use to make comments to the planners.
You can download it here. Please feel free to share it widely if you know people further afield who might help with our campaign.
Please click here to read or download the leaflet as a PDF file