British Land has worked with the local community at every stage of the development and consultation has been ongoing with local residents and a wide range of local and regional stakeholders to ensure a sustainable new community for Sheffield is created. This culminated in a public consultation event at Meadowhall from 26-28 February 2008. The event was attended by hundreds of local residents and visitors to Sheffield. The results of the consultation were overwhelmingly supportive and the planning application submission has responded to comments received.
More information can be obtained from the Statement of Community Involvement which can be downloaded from the Planning Application Documents section.
Response to Consultation
The principles of the River Don District enjoy widespread community support. As this application is Outline with all matters reserved many of the detailed comments will be picked up when Reserved Matters Planning Applications are made in the future. However there have been some changes to the proposal and revisions made to the Parameters Plans and Regulatory Text as direct result of comments received.
British Land are committed to maintaining links with the community throughout the development process and are actively seeking opportunities to extend engagement and information exchange. This should raise the profile of the development and generate increased interest in the employment and training opportunities that will arise.
One of the advantages of extensive consultation is that it allows new ideas and suggestions to be brought forward and included in the development of the scheme. Many of those consulted commented on the potential for fishing on the River Don. This was something which British Land were not initially aware of. British Land are considering ways in which this can be a viable component of the development.
Employment
As a direct result of this consultation exercise British Land in conjunction with The Source are setting up Steering Groups which will ensure the effective linkage of training initiatives and employment opportunities. Such Steering Groups will vary depending on the differing employment prospects, whether at the construction or operational stage. A full description of these Steering Groups can be found in the Socio-Economic chapter of the Environmental Statement.
Open Space
A key aspect of the consultation process was to gauge opinions on what should be included within the open public spaces. Numerous suggestions were made throughout the consultation programme.
This consultation confirmed the range of facilities which were required by the community. As a result the scheme will provide sporting facilities and play facilities for children and young adults along with both public and private open spaces. An essential component of this will be the maintenance of biodiversity within the site and The River Don which is similarly embedded in the proposed retention of the former railway embankment.
Residential Dwellings
During the consultation exercise it was confirmed that there was a need for a variety of different housing types and a need for affordable housing in the area. As such British Land are committed to providing affordable housing.
The British Land team are conscious that planning for urban development of the scale proposed is a complex matter and have actively sought to incorporate and respond to questions and suggestions made throughout the extensive consultation programme.
Traffic and Transport
Ensuring that all modes of transport are catered for by the application has been key from the outset. This was reconfirmed by the many views expressed during the Public Consultation. The RDD proposals have been reviewed to ensure that new links have been provided to existing facilities and public transport nodes. In particular, the Five Weirs Walk will be enhanced as will pedestrian links to the Carbrook Tram stop. Cycle routes and new crossing facility for pedestrians will also be provided.
Air Quality
British Land are aware that air quality is a critical issue within the Lower Don Valley area. This has been addressed in detail within the application proposals and every effort is to be made to reduce the proposal’s impact on air quality.
Flooding
Many visitors to the Exhibition and Consultees that we have spoken to as part of the application have asked about protecting the RDD site from flooding. Working with the Environment Agency and SCC a strategy has been developed to protect the sites. This involves raising the land, ensuring the water can flow through the area more easily and providing a large flat area of land adjacent to the rivers for water storage.
