Agenda item

5.1

A petition had been received from John Gilbert on behalf of the Beauchief Environment Group which had received 426 signatures:

“We call upon Sheffield City Council to urgently act to stop any further deterioration in the condition of the Grade 2 listed Beauchief Abbey Barns and to put in place a plan to secure the future of this very important piece of Sheffield's heritage.

My name is John Gilbert. I am a committee member of the Beauchief Environment Group and organiser of the Beauchief Environment Monday Group, a group of 10 to 15 volunteers who carry out work in the area as agreed by Council Officers. Our work includes surfacing and repairing footpaths , work in the Nature Park, repairing dry stone walls, constructing benches, tree planting and working in the Abbey grounds and at the Hamlet and lots more.

To carry out these tasks we have the use of one of the workshops in the Barns to store tools and materials .

I was also the Treasurer of Beauchief Golf Club for 19 years so I am well acquainted with the green keepers and golf course managers.

The Barns.

These are grade 2 listed buildings in the Beauchief Abbey Conservation Area. They are a group of attached workshops in a L shape behind Beauchief Abbey farm to the south of the Abbey. They must be more than 200 years old, built of local stone and roofed with either flag stones or slate. They are used by Beauchief Golf Course as the green keepers workshops and storage areas, but owned by the Council.

They are in a poor state of repair as no maintenance has been carried out on them for at least 30 years. The operator of the golf course, SIV / SCT is not required to carry out any maintenance as part of their contract.

So, What’s Happened.

In early December the main roof support of one of the workshops collapsed nearly bringing down the whole roof. This is now very dangerous. SCT carried out their survey and decided the whole complex was unsafe and erected a metal fence to prevent access. I don’t believe their surveyor entered the workshop we use which I believe is safe.

Later in December gales had a disastrous effect on the roof of the main barn. Something akin to a tornado sucked out roof slates leaving a gaping hole in the roof.

The Protest.

There has been lots of local concern that the barns have been allowed to deteriorate to such an extent that they can’t be used. Hence the petition.

Possible Solution.

There needs to be a maintenance budget for the barns and the obvious income stream has to be the Golf Course. After all they use the buildings. It would cover future maintenance but urgent repairs are needed now.

As a solution to getting the green keepers back in the main barn, repairs to the slate roof could be relatively quickly completed, along with clearing out the old debris and rubbish collected over decades. To make the barns more accessible a wider door could be made and even an entrance to the back of the building. This would save the cost of hiring/renting more containers for greenkeepers equipment currently occupying space on the car park at the Club House.

Finally, could I refer you to a Council document dated 19 / 3 / 2007 entitled Beauchief Abbey Conservation Area - Proposals.

It states that the barns were in a poor state of repair then, particularly the main barn . It recommends that - and I quote - “ effective repairs to make them water and weather tight be carried out; that their condition be monitored and appropriate steps be taken to secure their future”.

It suggested it be reviewed every 5 years and possibly carried out under guidance by community groups.

Well, Beauchief Environment Monday Group would be up for this!”

The Chair thanked the petitioner for presenting the petition and explained that, as the petition had been submitted after the deadline for public petitions, a full written response would be provided to the petitioner and an urgent meeting would be arranged with officers regarding the issues raised in the petition.

5.2

Rosemary Telfer attended the meeting and asked the following questions on behalf of the Friends of Norfolk Heritage Park:

“Q1. A survey was conducted by the FONHP, with the support of Parks & Countryside staff working in the Centre in the Park. 154 were completed & showed that park users are happy with the provision & enjoy using the park.  However, there was little engagement from users under the age of 25.

What work has been done to encourage the use of our park by young people?  What plans are there for working with schools or youth groups to find how best the enormous open spaces can be used for the benefit of young people across the city?

Q2. The notice boards in Norfolk Park are dilapidated and, in some cases, missing altogether. The FONHP have submitted a bid to the North East Sheffield LAC for funding for new boards, but this was rejected, on the grounds that the costings had been insufficiently researched.

Can Parks & Countryside fund the replacement of the notice boards? If not, can a plan be put together with the FONHP for costing & replacement of the boards?

Q3. The car park leading from Guildford Avenue to the Centre in the Park has been in a state of disrepair for a number of years and continues to deteriorate. The FONHP have brought this to the attention of Parks & Countryside on a number of occasions, as the car park is actually part of the park itself and so not a Highways issue. The surface has worn away and the deep potholes fill with water.

Can the Committee raise this as an urgent issue with Parks & Countryside and assure the FONHP that costings will be undertaken and work for resurfacing planned?

Q4. Both FONHP members and local ward Councillors have been asking that the overgrown trees on Norfolk Park Avenue be cut back. They are trees which are growing in the park and were reported to Parks & Countryside in August 2023.? 

The problem is the number of self-seeded trees that are growing up in the park, just on the other side of the wall along Norfolk Park Avenue. They are very fast growing - they’ve grown several feet in the space of a couple of years. If left unchecked they will soon become a serious problem as they are very close to the wall and therefore, close to the houses.

In November 2023, it was reported that part of the park wall had collapsed into the park at the beginning of Norfolk Park Avenue.

As we have received confirmation that the trees are part of the park, can we be assured that the necessary remedial work will be carried our as a matter of urgency, before there is damage to property or the safety of local residents is compromised?”

The Chair responded with the following answers:

1. Parks and Countryside have confirmed that there are family learning activities in the summer months provided by Children Services who set up a gazebo outside CITP and bring their mobile library van. In addition to this, the Youth Club operates from Centre in the Park weekly. I will ask Officers to contact the appropriate Council Services to highlight the opportunity to bring more young people into our parks for activities. I will also request that a meeting is arranged between the FONHP and officers to see how this work can be accelerated.

2. Parks and Countryside have confirmed that they plan to gather costings for both painting some of the signage in the park and also replacing signage, where required. There is currently no budget for these works, so Parks will work with the FONHP to come up with a plan and timescales, including reapproaching the East LAC with accurate costs.

The noticeboards and signage in Norfolk Park are bespoke to the park, therefore specific costings are needed which officers are working on. Once the costings are available, officers will work with the FONHP to secure funding and get the noticeboards replaced as soon as possible.

3. Parks and Countryside are aware that the car park has deteriorated significantly over the last few months as the park has been used more. Parks and Countryside are going to request quotes for the work to repair and improve the surfacing. Parks will update FONHP once these are received and talk to the Friends about possible funding options for the car park surfacing.

4. The tree team within Parks and Countryside survey trees and carry out any necessary remedial works regularly to ensure they are safe. We have asked the team to double check these specific trees and provide an update and reassurance to the FONHP.