Grenoside Green Belt Development Plans, S35
- Verity Eyre
- Jun 6
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 10
The Sheffield Plan includes plans to build 1,666 houses and multiple commercial units on green belt land in the S35 area of Sheffield in the regions of Grenoside, Ecclesfield, Wharncliffe Side, Oughtibridge, and Chapeltown. Here we take a look at the affected areas surrounding Grenoside and Ecclesfield.
Planned Green Belt Housing Developments in the Grenoside Area of Sheffield
The Sheffield Plan states an intention to build on three green belt areas connected to the village of Grenoside. The green belt land marked for development includes land off Creswick Lane (currently a working farm: Townend Farm), land off Middleton Lane (also currently tenanted), and Holme Lane Farm (to the west of Grenoside Grange). 945 new homes in total will be built in these areas. An additional area is marked for development in Grenoside on the former car lot on Penistone Road. This is a small area and it is marked on this graphic (NE26) but no description is given in the Sheffield Plan so it is not known how many homes are planned here at this time. However, this area is currently tarmac/concrete so it is not an area of major concern among residents.
The plans to develop on all of the green belt areas around Grenoside acknowledge that consideration should be given to flood risk, and state that a 15-metre buffer must be provided to the adjacent Local Wildlife Site, which is ancient woodland. This distance should be measured from the edge of the tree canopy. The plans intend to retain the public footpath in this area. The Sheffield Plan notes that hedgerows must be kept in place to act as wildlife corridors.
All of these three sites are green belt, so "Golden Rules" from the UK Government's planning policy apply. This means that open space must be included in the plans and more "affordable housing" will be required here than on land that has never been designated as green belt. At the Chapeltown drop-in session, councillors said that 30% of these areas would be dedicated to"affordable housing", further explaining that the majority of this 30% will be social housing rentals.
The plans for all three of these green belt areas around the village of Grenoside acknowledge that a full Air Quality Assessment will be needed when a planning application is submitted. This assessment must show how much of the housing falls within the poor air quality area. Homes can only be built in this area if there are strong regeneration benefits and effective measures to reduce the impact of poor air quality.
Planned Development On Green Belt Land Off Creswick Lane - Townend Farm
The land between Creswick Lane and Yew Lane (S35 8QN) is currently Townend Farm. The plans intend to replace this farm with 609 homes. It is reported that the tenants of Townend farm have operated on the site for over 40 years, are against this development, and were not notified of it directly.
It is described as follows in a Heritage Impact Assessment"Town End Farm is a post-medieval farmstead, which was extant by the 18th century but could be of earlier origins; several historic buildings survive. This group is of heritage interest in relation to its historic and architectural interest, and may preserve evidence of archaeological interest in relation to its origins. Land within the site contributes positively towards its setting in comprising part of its historic agricultural landscape, including its separation from Grenoside."
This area is marked as area NES37 on the following graphic. The site is 30.34 hectares in total and the housing area will be 17.41 hectares. The plans include a multi-faith burial ground covering an area of up to 4 hectares. Land within the site will be allocated to a mainstream secondary school and a Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) School.
This development area backs onto a several residents' gardens and there are concerns about noise disturbance, disruption from the building works, lack of adequate transport links (narrow roads which are already congested at times), damage to local wildlife and biodiversity, and also a severe and detrimental change to the landscape views that these properties currently have, which will likely impact the value of these properties. At the Chapeltown drop-in meeting, councillors stated that the impact on the house value of surrounding properties was not a consideration in the planning process.
Middleton Lane & Wheel Lane, Grenoside - Planned Development On Green Belt Land
The green belt area marked as NES39 on the above and below graphic is targeted for the development of 148 homes taking up 4.24 hectares within the 5.3 hectare site area. This area borders Middleton Lane and Wheel Lane in lower Grenoside (S35 8PU). It is currently tenanted and the tenant found out about plans to develop on this site via the Sheffield Star.
The plan acknowledges that this site contains historic landscape characteristics and is an area of archeological interest. The plan notes there is a risk of contaminated land in this area. Read more about this in the Councils Heritage Impact Assessment.
Holme Lane Farm Development On Green Belt Land
The green belt area marked as NES38 on the below graphic is targeted for the development of 188 homes taking up 5.38 hectares within the 6.72 hectare site area. The Holme Lane Farm green belt area sites to the west of Grenoside Grange and Fox Hill Road (S35 8QS).
The plan acknowledges that this site is within 250 of a historic landfill site and notes that an assessment of impact should be undertaken.
Do You Object to Building on Green Belt in the Grenoside Area?
If you have concerns about plans to develop on green belt in the areas surrounding Grenoside in Sheffield, there are a number of ways you can get involved and make a difference. Check out the local campaign for advice on how to respond to the public consultation about green belt development in Sheffield.
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