Time for bad news folks. Please share far and wide.
The planning meeting to decide the fate of the Devonshire Street parade of shops that include Rare & Racy is to happen at the Planning and Highways Committee Meeting, Tuesday 24 March 2015, 2.00 pm, at the Town Hall. Pinstone Street, Sheffield, S1 2HH
The agenda for the meeting is here
http://sheffielddemocracy.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=373&MId=5604
The bad news is that planning officers are recommending demolition, despite objections from some 19,500 people, including the local MP Paul Blomfield, and local Green Councillor Jillian Creasy. Objections from Hallamshire Historic Buildings, Sheffield Civic Trust and even the developers own Archaeological report.
If you, like me, think this is unacceptable, you can still have your say. You have to turn up at the meeting and register beforehand to comment to the committee direct. If enough people can do this it is possible we could essentially filibuster the meeting. Prepare a comment make it relevant to planning issues and you should be able to speak.
Register to comment by sending your details to martyn.riley@sheffield.gov.uk
It may not work but it has to be worth a try. It is time to do our bit. I will try to give you a foretaste of my comments in case you need some help but the main thing is to turn up and have your say.
The report draft is available here (will open as a document).
http://publicaccess.sheffield.gov.uk/online-applications/files/0E3B859EE4C653ADD25BA09F6635DB17/14_03473_FUL--872262.rtf
Surely thriving businesses could move premises?There are lots of empty units in town they could go in to. A lot of the objections I assume relate to the businesses rather than the buildings themselves. The real problem is that the majority of the 19000 objectors haven't been in the shops recently to spend their money. The old saying is 'you don't know what you've got till its gone'.
ReplyDeleteSpending in these shops is not relevant they are all viable businesses this about a developer that wants to add tiny housing units to the site and make a huge profit from them. The buildings themselves do not require demolition it's just the best profit option for the developer. Heritage is not good for profit it seems.
DeleteTotally agree. It's like, "What use is that old granny sitting there in that old peoples home? If we make her into meat pies we can sell them and then sell the chair." It takes decades for the fabric of life to develop behind a street like that. Sure we need to rebuild when a place is dead but there's still a pleasant richness in Devonshire Street that makes it attractive to walk along. New it will cease to be an artery to the city centre.
DeleteUnfortunately you can protest and put your views across but the council will do what they want anyway, just like they've done with the libraries. It would be disgusting if they did demolish those buildings and livelihoods though.
ReplyDeleteIs there a CPO for this?
ReplyDeleteIf you mean a Compulsory Purchase Order, no this is a private developers plan for their own property but for our Heritage.
DeleteThis is the free market at work. If the businesses are that viable in themselves they will relocate elsewhere in town. It's just a shame that such a large part of the charm of Rare n Racy is the nature of the building it is in.
DeleteIf our heritage was intended to be a free market business then we wouldn't need the likes of the National Trust or English Heritage, we wouldn't need to protect ancient monuments or National Parks. The businesses would probably survive elsewhere but the heritage will still be destroyed and some of the oldest buildings in Sheffield will be lost forever.
DeleteEven having a grade 2 listing didn't help part of the Jessops hospital building to remain standing. The character of this area, of Sheffield will slowly be eroded.
ReplyDeleteYou should not have to filibuster as 19500 signatures should be enough to get the proposal sent to the secretary of state in order to have a public inquiry
ReplyDeleteJust a heads up. The draft proposal link isn't working at the moment
ReplyDeleteSometimes happens, try again later, bit of a ropey system when lots of people are looking at it.
Delete2 points: Planning Officers have to interpret Planning Policy to determine whether the proposals comply or not; it's up to Councillors to accept or reject their recommendations. Secondly, has anyone explored registering this site as an "Asset of Community Value" under the Localism Act? This would allow the community to bid for the properties and if succesful, save them, and thus keep thes much loved shops.
ReplyDeleteDid they agree for it to go ahead?
ReplyDeletePlanning Meeting is on Tuesday 24th March at 2pm.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't a national monument or even an interesting building so surely the owner is free to do what they want with it. When you add to that, the new buildings facade will be virtually identical to the old there will be no impact to the aesthetic of Devonshire st and there will be a much more functional building in its place which includes flats designed for the disabled. Yes the owner wants to make a profit, just like every other business owner in the city. I don't remember this outcry when the owners of the forum managed to get a road closed to build a God awful beer garden and shut the shops upstairs to build a pool hall, but hey that was cool. I don't imagine many of the 19000 people who've signed the petition even looked at the planning proposals. If you want to make an anti capitalist protest get on with it and save this energy for buildings that really do deserve preserving due to their architectural or historical significance, otherwise let progress progress, if it didn't we'd still be living in caves.
ReplyDeleteEven most free marketeers don't believe owners should be completely free to do what they want with their buildings that's why we have planning laws in the first place. As for the rest of what you say, we are each able to voice our opinions. Whether for or against planning applications.
ReplyDeleteThis particular proposal has stirred people to protest. partly because of the impact on some local independent businesses but also because this is the oldest remaining block of retail buildings in the city centre and at nearly 200 years old worthy of more than a passing glance before destroying them forever.
If your happy with a fake historic building we may be in for a disneyland approach to development, as for progress, tower blocks were considered progress and yet are now condemned to the rubbish heaps in most cities, there is some progress we can do without.
Feel free to disagree of course and feel free to leave your name next time too. If you want to that is.
As for disabled living, if you look at the plans you will see they are all above the ground floor and are of a size that would make disabled living (particularly in a wheelchair) next to impossible. That after they cut the number of planned residential units by a third. This was never planned as a disabled living space, to suggest otherwise is disingenuous.