Agenda item

8.1

It was formally moved by Councillor Kurtis Crossland, and formally seconded by Councillor Gail Smith, that this Council:-

(a)      welcomes the approval of the emerging Local Plan to go forward to public consultation, given at the December meeting of Full Council, however:-

(i)       regrets that the process of developing the emerging Local Plan has been held back by numerous delays on the part of previous Council administrations between May 2011 and May 2021; and

(ii)       believes that, as a result of delays to the emerging Local Plan, this Council has been left unable to oppose controversial housing developments such as the site at Hollin Busk Road, which was recommended by Full Council to be removed from the Local Plan as a Housing Site on the 14th of December, and despite this, plans for the development of 75 houses were approved at a Planning Committee meeting on the 10th of January;

(b)      believes that local residents know what is best for their own communities, and as such, welcomes the numerous representations, feedback, and petitions from members of the public concerning allocations and policies in the emerging Local Plan;

(c)      regrets that engaged local democracy is only now possible at this relatively late stage, and regrets that Local Area Committees and local councillors have had limited formal input into the plan development process;

(d)      believes that local residents of South East Sheffield have made their voices clear on the issue of the site east of Eckington Way (referred to in the Emerging Local Plan as site SES 03), which has been allocated for use as a ‘General Employment and Traveller Site’, and notes that a petition opposing the proposed site has received 2,773 signatures as of the 8th of February;

(e)      notes that democratic discussion of how the Council should discharge its duty to provide Gypsy and Traveller accommodation can regrettably sometimes attract discriminatory and racist views and therefore condemns in the strongest terms all forms of racism and discrimination against Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, and Travelling Showpeople communities, and especially any use of discriminatory stereotypes within political campaigning;

(f)       notes there has been significant concerns raised about the suitability of the site for use as industrial employment and traveller pitches, for the following reasons:-

(i)       congestion on Eckington Way is a significant issue, as:-

(A)      the site is very close to the Crystal Peaks shopping centre and Drakehouse Retail Park;

(B)      there have been 13 collisions on the road and roundabout in the last five years, 5 of them serious;

(C)      Ward members regularly receive complaints from constituents regarding the large volume of congestion on Eckington Way; and

(D)      the site’s proposed use for employment and travelling showpeople, with Eckington Way as its only access point, would significantly add to congestion on this street; and

(ii)       the site is not appropriate for industrial or traveller development, as:-

(A)      it is in very close proximity to current residential development, which is likely to be adversely affected by an industrial and traveller site through noise and pollution;

(B)      the site is on a Green Belt boundary, is of a substantially similar quality to the site adjacent which is included in the Green Belt (both were rated 13/20 in the 2020 Green Belt Review), and is only delineated from the section within the Green Belt by a footpath;

(C)      a high pressure gas pipe is present on the site, which raises safety concerns around its proposed use as an industrial site;

(D)      it is possible that the site may be protected as Grade 3a farming land at a future date, putting the Council in noncompliance with its legal obligation to provide Gypsy and Traveller accommodation; and

(E)      industrial land use adjacent to housing has previously been shown to disturb the local community, such as at the Abbey Glen site nearby, where hundreds of residents have campaigned against the smell and noise created by the laundry service’s industrial activities; and

(g)      therefore resolves that officers are requested to include a reappraisal of SES 03 as an industrial and traveller site in the Local Plan, taking into account the views of this Council and the responses to the consultation, when officers present the ‘schedule of suggested amendments’ to the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee and subsequently to Full Council, as agreed on 14^th December 2022.

8.1.1

(NOTE: With the agreement of the Council and at the request of the mover of the Motion (Councillor Kurtis Crossland), the Motion as published on the agenda was altered by (1) the removal of 10 words from paragraph (e) of the Motion – with those words also having been removed from the published record, at the request of the Council’s Monitoring Officer, on the grounds that they were likely to identify an individual and (2) the replacement, in paragraph (f) of the Motion, of the words “believes that the site in question is not suitable for use as” by the words “notes there has been significant concerns raised about the suitability of the site for use as”.)

8.2

Whereupon, it was formally moved by Councillor Karen McGowan, and formally seconded by Councillor Tony Downing, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of new paragraphs (f) to (k) as follows, and the re-lettering of original paragraphs (f) and (g) as new paragraphs (l) & (m):-

(f)       believes that, not only as a council but as a city, we should be proud to celebrate the rich histories and diverse cultures of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and provide traveller sites in full consultation with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities;

(g)      notes that the site allocation list for Beighton, and the whole of the South-East, was put to councillors on 11^th July 2022;

(h)      believes that this whole process was completely transparent and notes that, following these briefings and discussions within political groups, the whole Council met on 14^th December 2022 to vote on the Local Plan, and all parties – Labour, Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Green – approved the plans;

(i)       notes that the Local Plan was delivered cross-party, and notes that were any traveller site removed from the current Plan, an alternative site would need to be found in order to meet recognised need;

(j)       notes that while an alternative site, instead of site SES 03, may be required, it would not be appropriate to determine this until the public consultation has completed – and Members need to consider all representations (including from the gypsy and traveller community) as well as any further evidence, around all sites in the city;

(k)      believes that the Local Plan is for all of Sheffield – all of its people and different communities, without prejudice – and that this Council needs to balance all considerations in the final approved report, including issues around traffic mitigation, supporting infrastructure, environmental protection, the standard of homes, and economic growth;

8.3

It was then formally moved by Councillor Alexi Dimond, and formally seconded by Councillor Henry Nottage, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by:-

1.       the deletion of paragraphs (a) to (d) and (f) and (g) and the re-lettering of paragraph (e) as a new paragraph (a); and

2.       the addition of new paragraphs (b) to (h) as follows:-

(b)      notes that following the Race Equality Commission, and in the past, Sheffield Council has committed to working towards becoming an anti-racist city;

(c)      believes that, as the two biggest parties in the Council, both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have a responsibility to this commitment and should not be campaigning against one of the most marginalised and demonised groups in the UK;

(d)      notes that the Labour Party’s nominated candidate for the Beighton Ward has set up a petition against the proposed traveller site in Beighton, and believes this is a cynical attempt to win votes in the local election;

(e)      affirms that the Council has a legal and moral obligation to provide traveller sites in Sheffield;

(f)       notes that no objections to the proposed site in Eckington were made at Full Council when the draft local plan was unanimously agreed in December 2022;

(g)      notes that many areas of Sheffield have high levels of traffic and pollution, and believes that, if councillors were really concerned about this, they would support measures to reduce car use in favour of public transport, such as a Workplace Parking Levy, better bus routes and introducing more parking schemes, and more effective enforcement of parking schemes and policies that already exist; and

(h)      notes that Labour and Liberal Democrat Councillors have previously supported traffic-increasing developments, such as Meadowhall expansion, the IKEA shopping centre, free parking at Christmas and to exclude private cars from the Clean Air Zone.

8.4

The amendment moved by Councillor Karen McGowan was put to the vote and was carried.

8.4.1

The votes on the amendment were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-

For paragraphs (f) and (k) of the Amendment (70)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards), the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Colin Ross)  and Councillors Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Bob McCann, Kurtis Crossland, Ann Woolhouse, Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Angela Argenzio, Brian Holmshaw, Talib Hussain, Mark Jones, Safiya Saeed, Douglas Johnson, Ruth Mersereau, Martin Phipps, Tim Huggan, Minesh Parekh, Ruth Milsom, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Joe Otten, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Fran Belbin, Abdul Khayum, Abtisam Mohamed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Alexi Dimond, Marieanne Elliot, Paul Turpin, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Christine Gilligan Kubo, Henry Nottage, Terry Fox, Tony Downing, Kevin Oxley, Gail Smith, Peter Garbutt, Nighat Basharat, Ben Miskell, Nabeela Mowlana, David Barker, Dianne Hurst, Dawn Dale, Peter Price, Garry Weatherall, Mike Chaplin, Tony Damms, Jayne Dunn, Richard Williams, Lewis Chinchen, Julie Grocutt, Janet Ridler, Ben Curran, Tom Hunt, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery, Ann Whitaker, Mick Rooney and Jackie Satur.

Against paragraphs (f) and (k) of the Amendment (0)

-

Nil

Abstained from voting on paragraphs (f) and (k) of the Amendment (0)

-

Nil

For paragraphs (g) to (j) of the Amendment (45)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards) and Councillors Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Angela Argenzio, Brian Holmshaw, Talib Hussain, Mark Jones, Safiya Saeed, Douglas Johnson, Ruth Mersereau, Martin Phipps, Minesh Parekh, Ruth Milsom, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Fran Belbin, Abdul Khayum, Abtisam Mohamed, Alexi Dimond, Marieanne Elliot, Paul Turpin, Christine Gilligan Kubo, Henry Nottage, Terry Fox, Tony Downing, Peter Garbutt, Nighat Basharat, Ben Miskell, Nabeela Mowlana, David Barker, Dianne Hurst, Dawn Dale, Peter Price, Garry Weatherall, Mike Chaplin, Tony Damms, Jayne Dunn, Lewis Chinchen, Julie Grocutt, Janet Ridler, Ben Curran, Tom Hunt, Mick Rooney and Jackie Satur.

Against paragraphs (g) to (j) of the Amendment (25)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Colin Ross) and Councillors Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Bob McCann, Kurtis Crossland, Ann Woolhouse, Tim Huggan, Joe Otten, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Kevin Oxley, Gail Smith, Richard Williams, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery and Ann Whitaker.

Abstained from voting on paragraphs (g) to (j) of the Amendment (0)

-

Nil

8.5

The amendment moved by Councillor Alexi Dimond was then put to the vote and was carried in part.  Part 1 and paragraphs (g) and (h) in Part 2 of the amendment were lost, and paragraphs (b) to (f) in Part 2 of the amendment were carried.

8.5.1

(NOTE: The result of the vote was FOR - 11 Members; AGAINST - 58 Members; ABSTENTIONS – 0 Members.  Although Labour Group Members voted against, they voted for paragraphs (b), (e) and (f) in Part 2 of the amendment, and abstained from voting on paragraphs (c) and (h) in Part 2 of the amendment. Although Liberal Democrat Members voted against, they voted for paragraphs (b) to (d) in Part 2 of the amendment. Although Councillor Lewis Chinchen voted against, he voted for paragraphs (b) and (e) in Part 2 of the amendment.)

8.6

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)

welcomes the approval of the emerging Local Plan to go forward to public consultation, given at the December meeting of Full Council, however:-

(i)       regrets that the process of developing the emerging Local Plan has been held back by numerous delays on the part of previous Council administrations between May 2011 and May 2021; and

(ii)       believes that, as a result of delays to the emerging Local Plan, this Council has been left unable to oppose controversial housing developments such as the site at Hollin Busk Road, which was recommended by Full Council to be removed from the Local Plan as a Housing Site on the 14th of December, and despite this, plans for the development of 75 houses were approved at a Planning Committee meeting on the 10th of January;

(b)

believes that local residents know what is best for their own communities, and as such, welcomes the numerous representations, feedback, and petitions from members of the public concerning allocations and policies in the emerging Local Plan;

(c)

regrets that engaged local democracy is only now possible at this relatively late stage, and regrets that Local Area Committees and local councillors have had limited formal input into the plan development process;

(d)

believes that local residents of South East Sheffield have made their voices clear on the issue of the site east of Eckington Way (referred to in the Emerging Local Plan as site SES 03), which has been allocated for use as a ‘General Employment and Traveller Site’, and notes that a petition opposing the proposed site has received 2,773 signatures as of the 8th of February;

(e)

notes that democratic discussion of how the Council should discharge its duty to provide Gypsy and Traveller accommodation can regrettably sometimes attract discriminatory and racist views and therefore condemns in the strongest terms all forms of racism and discrimination against Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, and Travelling Showpeople communities, and especially any use of discriminatory stereotypes within political campaigning;

(f)

believes that, not only as a council but as a city, we should be proud to celebrate the rich histories and diverse cultures of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and provide traveller sites in full consultation with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities;

(g)

notes that the site allocation list for Beighton, and the whole of the South-East, was put to councillors on 11^th July 2022;

(h)

believes that this whole process was completely transparent and notes that, following these briefings and discussions within political groups, the whole Council met on 14^th December 2022 to vote on the Local Plan, and all parties – Labour, Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Green – approved the plans;

(i)

notes that the Local Plan was delivered cross-party, and notes that were any traveller site removed from the current Plan, an alternative site would need to be found in order to meet recognised need;

(j)

notes that while an alternative site, instead of site SES 03, may be required, it would not be appropriate to determine this until the public consultation has completed – and Members need to consider all representations (including from the gypsy and traveller community) as well as any further evidence, around all sites in the city;

(k)

believes that the Local Plan is for all of Sheffield – all of its people and different communities, without prejudice – and that this Council needs to balance all considerations in the final approved report, including issues around traffic mitigation, supporting infrastructure, environmental protection, the standard of homes, and economic growth;

(l)

notes there has been significant concerns raised about the suitability of the site for use as industrial employment and traveller pitches, for the following reasons:-

(i)        congestion on Eckington Way is a significant issue, as:-

(A)    the site is very close to the Crystal Peaks shopping centre and Drakehouse Retail Park;

(B)    there have been 13 collisions on the road and roundabout in the last five years, 5 of them serious;

(C)   Ward members regularly receive complaints from constituents regarding the large volume of congestion on Eckington Way; and

(D)   the site’s proposed use for employment and travelling showpeople, with Eckington Way as its only access point, would significantly add to congestion on this street; and

(ii)       the site is not appropriate for industrial or traveller development, as:-

(A)    it is in very close proximity to current residential development, which is likely to be adversely affected by an industrial and traveller site through noise and pollution;

(B)    the site is on a Green Belt boundary, is of a substantially similar quality to the site adjacent which is included in the Green Belt (both were rated 13/20 in the 2020 Green Belt Review), and is only delineated from the section within the Green Belt by a footpath;

(C)   a high pressure gas pipe is present on the site, which raises safety concerns around its proposed use as an industrial site;

(D)   it is possible that the site may be protected as Grade 3a farming land at a future date, putting the Council in noncompliance with its legal obligation to provide Gypsy and Traveller accommodation; and

(E)    industrial land use adjacent to housing has previously been shown to disturb the local community, such as at the Abbey Glen site nearby, where hundreds of residents have campaigned against the smell and noise created by the laundry service’s industrial activities;

(m)

therefore resolves that officers are requested to include a reappraisal of SES 03 as an industrial and traveller site in the Local Plan, taking into account the views of this Council and the responses to the consultation, when officers present the ‘schedule of suggested amendments’ to the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee and subsequently to Full Council, as agreed on 14^th December 2022;

(n)

notes that following the Race Equality Commission, and in the past, Sheffield Council has committed to working towards becoming an anti-racist city;

(o)

believes that, as the two biggest parties in the Council, both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have a responsibility to this commitment and should not be campaigning against one of the most marginalised and demonised groups in the UK;

(p)

notes that the Labour Party’s nominated candidate for the Beighton Ward has set up a petition against the proposed traveller site in Beighton, and believes this is a cynical attempt to win votes in the local election;

(q)

affirms that the Council has a legal and moral obligation to provide traveller sites in Sheffield; and

(r)

notes that no objections to the proposed site in Eckington were made at Full Council when the draft local plan was unanimously agreed in December 2022.

8.7

On being put to the vote, the Substantive Motion was carried, except for paragraphs (a) and (c) which were lost.

8.7.1

The votes on the amendment were ordered to be recorded and were as follows:-

For paragraphs (a) and (c) of the Substantive Motion (26)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Colin Ross) and Councillors Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Bob McCann, Kurtis Crossland, Ann Woolhouse, Tim Huggan, Joe Otten, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Kevin Oxley, Gail Smith, Richard Williams, Lewis Chinchen, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery and Ann Whitaker.

Against paragraphs (a) and (c) of the Substantive Motion (41)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards) and Councillors Denise Fox, Bryan Lodge, Karen McGowan, Angela Argenzio, Brian Holmshaw, Mark Jones, Safiya Saeed, Douglas Johnson, Ruth Mersereau, Martin Phipps, Minesh Parekh, Ruth Milsom, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Fran Belbin, Abdul Khayum, Abtisam Mohamed, Alexi Dimond, Marieanne Elliot, Paul Turpin, Christine Gilligan Kubo, Henry Nottage, Terry Fox, Tony Downing, Peter Garbutt, Nighat Basharat, Ben Miskell, Nabeela Mowlana, David Barker, Dianne Hurst, Dawn Dale, Mike Chaplin, Tony Damms, Jayne Dunn, Julie Grocutt, Janet Ridler, Ben Curran, Tom Hunt, Mick Rooney and Jackie Satur.

Abstained from voting on paragraphs (a) and (c) of the Substantive Motion (2)

-

Councillors Talib Hussain and Peter Price.

For paragraph (b), (d), (l) and (m) of the Substantive Motion (51)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards), the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Colin Ross)  and Councillors Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Bob McCann, Kurtis Crossland, Ann Woolhouse, Denise Fox, Karen McGowan, Mark Jones, Safiya Saeed, Tim Huggan, Minesh Parekh, Ruth Milsom, Joe Otten, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Fran Belbin, Abdul Khayum, Abtisam Mohamed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Terry Fox, Tony Downing, Kevin Oxley, Gail Smith, Nighat Basharat, Ben Miskell, Nabeela Mowlana, David Barker, Dawn Dale, Mike Chaplin, Tony Damms, Jayne Dunn, Richard Williams, Lewis Chinchen, Julie Grocutt, Janet Ridler, Ben Curran, Tom Hunt, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery, Ann Whitaker and Jackie Satur.

Against paragraphs (b), (d), (l) and (m) of the Substantive Motion (16)

-

Councillors Bryan Lodge, Angela Argenzio, Brian Holmshaw, Douglas Johnson, Ruth Mersereau, Martin Phipps, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Alexi Dimond, Marieanne Elliot, Paul Turpin, Christine Gilligan Kubo, Henry Nottage, Peter Garbutt, Dianne Hurst and Mick Rooney.

Abstained from voting on paragraphs (b), (d), (l) and (m) of the Substantive Motion (2)

-

Councillors Talib Hussain and Peter Price.

For paragraphs (e), (f), (k), (n), (o) and (p) of the Substantive Motion (62)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards), the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Colin Ross)  and Councillors Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Bob McCann, Kurtis Crossland, Ann Woolhouse, Denise Fox, Karen McGowan, Angela Argenzio, Brian Holmshaw, Mark Jones, Safiya Saeed, Douglas Johnson, Ruth Mersereau, Martin Phipps, Tim Huggan, Minesh Parekh, Ruth Milsom, Joe Otten, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Fran Belbin, Abdul Khayum, Abtisam Mohamed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Alexi Dimond, Marieanne Elliot, Paul Turpin, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Christine Gilligan Kubo, Henry Nottage, Terry Fox, Tony Downing, Kevin Oxley, Gail Smith, Peter Garbutt, Nighat Basharat, Ben Miskell, Nabeela Mowlana, David Barker, Dawn Dale, Mike Chaplin, Tony Damms, Jayne Dunn, Richard Williams, Lewis Chinchen, Julie Grocutt, Janet Ridler, Ben Curran, Tom Hunt, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery, Ann Whitaker and Jackie Satur.

Against paragraphs (e), (f), (k), (n), (o) and (p) of the Substantive Motion (5)

-

Councillors Bryan Lodge, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Dianne Hurst and Mick Rooney.

Abstained from voting on paragraphs (e), (f), (k), (n), (o) and (p) of the Substantive Motion (2)

-

Councillors Talib Hussain and Peter Price.

For paragraphs (g) to (j), (q) & (r) of the Substantive Motion (37)

-

The Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards) and Councillors Denise Fox, Karen McGowan, Angela Argenzio, Brian Holmshaw, Mark Jones, Safiya Saeed, Douglas Johnson, Ruth Mersereau, Martin Phipps, Minesh Parekh, Ruth Milsom, Fran Belbin, Abdul Khayum, Abtisam Mohamed, Alexi Dimond, Marieanne Elliot, Paul Turpin, Christine Gilligan Kubo, Henry Nottage, Terry Fox, Tony Downing, Peter Garbutt, Nighat Basharat, Ben Miskell, Nabeela Mowlana, David Barker, Dawn Dale, Mike Chaplin, Tony Damms, Jayne Dunn, Lewis Chinchen, Julie Grocutt, Janet Ridler, Ben Curran, Tom Hunt and Jackie Satur.

Against paragraphs (g) to (j), (q) & (r) of the Substantive Motion (30)

-

The Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Colin Ross) and Councillors Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Bob McCann, Kurtis Crossland, Ann Woolhouse, Bryan Lodge, Tim Huggan, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Joe Otten, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Kevin Oxley, Gail Smith, Dianne Hurst, Richard Williams, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery, Ann Whitaker and Mick Rooney.

Abstained from voting on paragraphs (g) to (j), (q) & (r) of the Substantive Motion (2)

-

Councillors Talib Hussain and Peter Price.

(Note: At the meeting of the Council held on 5^th July 2023, when approving these minutes, it was agreed that a note be inserted into these minutes to record that the votes of Councillors Bryan Lodge, Talib Hussain, Mary Lea, Zahira Naz, Dianne Hurst, Peter Price and Mick Rooney had been cast in error, whereas their intention had been to align with the votes of the other Labour Group members, who voted “for” the Substantive Motion, but “against” paragraphs (a) and (c) of the Substantive Motion.)

8.8

Accordingly, the resolution passed by the Council was as follows:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)

believes that local residents know what is best for their own communities, and as such, welcomes the numerous representations, feedback, and petitions from members of the public concerning allocations and policies in the emerging Local Plan;

(b)

believes that local residents of South East Sheffield have made their voices clear on the issue of the site east of Eckington Way (referred to in the Emerging Local Plan as site SES 03), which has been allocated for use as a ‘General Employment and Traveller Site’, and notes that a petition opposing the proposed site has received 2,773 signatures as of the 8th of February;

(c)

notes that democratic discussion of how the Council should discharge its duty to provide Gypsy and Traveller accommodation can regrettably sometimes attract discriminatory and racist views and therefore condemns in the strongest terms all forms of racism and discrimination against Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, and Travelling Showpeople communities, and especially any use of discriminatory stereotypes within political campaigning;

(d)

believes that, not only as a council but as a city, we should be proud to celebrate the rich histories and diverse cultures of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, and provide traveller sites in full consultation with Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities;

(e)

notes that the site allocation list for Beighton, and the whole of the South-East, was put to councillors on 11^th July 2022;

(f)

believes that this whole process was completely transparent and notes that, following these briefings and discussions within political groups, the whole Council met on 14^th December 2022 to vote on the Local Plan, and all parties – Labour, Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Green – approved the plans;

(g)

notes that the Local Plan was delivered cross-party, and notes that were any traveller site removed from the current Plan, an alternative site would need to be found in order to meet recognised need;

(h)

notes that while an alternative site, instead of site SES 03, may be required, it would not be appropriate to determine this until the public consultation has completed – and Members need to consider all representations (including from the gypsy and traveller community) as well as any further evidence, around all sites in the city;

(i)

believes that the Local Plan is for all of Sheffield – all of its people and different communities, without prejudice – and that this Council needs to balance all considerations in the final approved report, including issues around traffic mitigation, supporting infrastructure, environmental protection, the standard of homes, and economic growth;

(j)

notes there has been significant concerns raised about the suitability of the site for use as industrial employment and traveller pitches, for the following reasons:-

(i)        congestion on Eckington Way is a significant issue, as:-

(A)    the site is very close to the Crystal Peaks shopping centre and Drakehouse Retail Park;

(B)    there have been 13 collisions on the road and roundabout in the last five years, 5 of them serious;

(C)   Ward members regularly receive complaints from constituents regarding the large volume of congestion on Eckington Way; and

(D)   the site’s proposed use for employment and travelling showpeople, with Eckington Way as its only access point, would significantly add to congestion on this street; and

(ii)       the site is not appropriate for industrial or traveller development, as:-

(A)    it is in very close proximity to current residential development, which is likely to be adversely affected by an industrial and traveller site through noise and pollution;

(B)    the site is on a Green Belt boundary, is of a substantially similar quality to the site adjacent which is included in the Green Belt (both were rated 13/20 in the 2020 Green Belt Review), and is only delineated from the section within the Green Belt by a footpath;

(C)   a high pressure gas pipe is present on the site, which raises safety concerns around its proposed use as an industrial site;

(D)   it is possible that the site may be protected as Grade 3a farming land at a future date, putting the Council in noncompliance with its legal obligation to provide Gypsy and Traveller accommodation; and

(E)    industrial land use adjacent to housing has previously been shown to disturb the local community, such as at the Abbey Glen site nearby, where hundreds of residents have campaigned against the smell and noise created by the laundry service’s industrial activities;

(k)

therefore resolves that officers are requested to include a reappraisal of SES 03 as an industrial and traveller site in the Local Plan, taking into account the views of this Council and the responses to the consultation, when officers present the ‘schedule of suggested amendments’ to the Strategy and Resources Policy Committee and subsequently to Full Council, as agreed on 14^th December 2022;

(l)

notes that following the Race Equality Commission, and in the past, Sheffield Council has committed to working towards becoming an anti-racist city;

(m)

believes that, as the two biggest parties in the Council, both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have a responsibility to this commitment and should not be campaigning against one of the most marginalised and demonised groups in the UK;

(n)

notes that the Labour Party’s nominated candidate for the Beighton Ward has set up a petition against the proposed traveller site in Beighton, and believes this is a cynical attempt to win votes in the local election;

(o)

affirms that the Council has a legal and moral obligation to provide traveller sites in Sheffield; and

(p)

notes that no objections to the proposed site in Eckington were made at Full Council when the draft local plan was unanimously agreed in December 2022.