‘Absolutely devastated’ farmer in tears pleads with Sheffield Council over greenbelt housing plans
She says if plans for greenbelt land go ahead she could lose her home and livelihood
A farmer was in tears while she was trying to reason with Sheffield Council about what the Green Belt proposals would mean for her home and livelihood.
On the third day of the Sheffield Local Plan examination hearing at the Town Hall, Adele Riddle, the farmer at Townend Farm which is a site proposed for Green Belt development, was able to voice her concerns and frustrations in front of council planning bosses.
Mrs Riddle, who has recently told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that if the plans were to go ahead, she could become homeless, explained that she was “absolutely devastated” over the prospect that she could lose everything.
Mrs Riddle and her husband have been on the site farming for 44 years but the council’s Green Belt proposals, which involve building homes, schools and more on 14 green open spaces, could mean the end of the business.
She said: “We’ve treated it as our own. We’ve put in hundreds of thousands to reinvest it.”
She reiterated that they have reinvested “every penny” back into the farm for their children and grandchildren’s future.
“They are just pulling the carpet under us”, Mrs Riddle added.
She told the Inspector, Katie Child, that they had only found out about the plans via a phone call and they had been left “in limbo” until July 29.
She said: “It’s been absolutely disgusting, the way we’ve been treated.”
Mrs Riddle later told the Inspector that her phone was “red hot” from farmers all over the country telling them if the council takes this land off them, they are worried “they’re next”.
The hearing continues.
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The hearings are taking place between September 29 and October 2 at Sheffield Town Hall, mainly looking into the public response to the site allocations.
The next round of sessions will take place between October 13 and October 15 at The Showroom/Workstation.
Then sessions on the other aspects of the Sheffield Plan will be held in Howden House on October 16 and October 17. Thursday 16th and Friday 17th.
The third (and final) week of hearings, should they be required, has been scheduled for between November 17 and November 21.
It is reported that once all the hearings have concluded, the independent Inspectors will review the information they have been given and will compile a preliminary report of their findings.
The report could conclude that Sheffield’s Local Plan is sound and can continue or propose ‘main modifications’ that are needed to make the plan “sound”.
The Inspectors could also conclude that the plan is unsound and cannot be made sound through modifications, in which case the Sheffield Council would be asked to produce an entirely new plan.
If the Inspectors recommend main modifications, those modifications will be subject to further public consultation next year.