Sheffield councillor says city housing blueprint isn’t green enough

Cllr Craig Gamble Pugh, who represents East Ecclesfield ward, voted against endorsing the draft Sheffield Local Plan to go out to public consultation. The plan, which has been two years in the making, sets out where all developments can be built in the city until 2039 and replaces a series of outdated policies going back to 1998.

Coun Gamble Pugh said that he couldn’t vote to endorse a document he doesn’t agree with. He objected on the basis that a policy in the plan will cut across the council’s pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

He told a special meeting of the council’s transport, regeneration and climate policy committee that met to discuss the plan: “I am very proud that we declared a climate emergency very clear policy to reach net zero by 2030.

“The building standards in this policy are stated saying that we won’t require developments to achieve net zero until January 2030. So we can’t possibly deliver on net zero if between now and January 2030 if we are allowing buildings and developments and homes to go up which are continuing to emit carbon.”

He said this would mean effectively abandoning the net zero policy.

Michael Johnson, council head of planning, said: “There’s really difficult balances we’ve wrestled with, the plan needs to be deliverable.”

He said consultants had advised on timing and there needs to be a balance with other policies including delivering affordable housing.

‘20-minute neighbourhoods’

The rest of the committee voted to endorse the draft version of the plan before Sheffielders have their say. It will now go to the strategy and resources committee before a period of public consultation starts on January 9. Other proposals around the plan’s progress were agreed unanimously.

The 500-plus page document will be amended following consultations and the final version will have to go to the Government for approval. It is expected to come into force at the end of 2024.

Council strategic planning service manager Simon Vincent gave an outline of the plan to the committee. He said: “The Sheffield Plan vision is that by 2039 Sheffield will be a fair, inclusive and environmentally sustainable city.”

He said that the main housing growth would be in the city centre and the focus for development would be on brownfield sites to avoid building in the green belt and rural areas. One of the biggest brownfield housing schemes could see 270 homes built on the former Norton Aerodrome site.

Mr Vincent said the council wants to create a series of ‘20-minute neighbourhoods’ where all basic facilities could be reached by a 10-minute walk or cycle ride. The idea is to build local communities and businesses and to cut down the need for car journeys, supporting the net zero policy.

The plan will allow for a total of 35,700 new homes to be built in the city over its lifetime, with an emphasis on affordable and social homes as well as far more housing that is accessible for people with disabilities.

It also sets out how much land in the city will be needed to create new jobs and where development will be allowed.

Read this: New app helps people in city to stay warm

Read this: Council Christmas events survive cost-of-living crisis cuts