Developers have submitted plans to build a new township of up to 300 houses on Green Belt land in the heart of the Loxley valley and on the doorstep of the Peak District National Park. See here for more details.
Picture Source: Pixabay.com
Sheffield Friends of the Earth objects to this planning application.
As other objectors have suggested there should be a delay in considering this application due at least to covid 19.
Indeed it is unforgivable of the developers to pursue this application while many residents are under stress from dealing with the unusual and unprecedented effects of the pandemic and the lockdown.
Perhaps there are other reasons they and other developers are in such a rush.
In 2021 a nearly zero energy standard set out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive comes into force. It goes beyond thermal insulation into smart readiness for the climate emergency. Perhaps we should delay until then.
The Council needs to take account of the fact that there will be no new gas connections to the grid from 2025. What value will there be on homes only a few years old and already out of date fitted with gas boilers instead of heat pumps?
It is noted that according to the notes there are Ancient and veteran trees on site. In Para 175 of the NPPF such trees are afforded protection akin to that given to listed buildings. Moreover, any threat to them AND the land around them from development can only be permitted for" wholly exceptional reasons" . It explains such reasons would be Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. This development is not such a project.
When the Tyndall Centre reported to the Council after its historic Declaration of a Climate Emergency it recommended a HIGH ambition with regard to tree planting, forestry yield improvements and forestry management. Keeping sites that ate left for nature are generally healthier and more diverse.
The Climate Emergency should be taken for what it is - an EMERGENCY!!
Have the boldness to act on it now to help the planet and its people. Reject this application.
Richard Souter
Lead Climate Campaigner
Sheffield Friends of the Earth