Minutes of North Area Panel 18 July 2007

NORTH AREA PANEL


Meeting held 18th July, 2007, at Bolsterstone Village Hall

PRESENT:		Councillors Alan Hooper (Chair), Trevor Bagshaw, Martin Davis and Vickie Priestley.

		Representatives of Panel Partners:-
		P. C. Jon Barker	-	South Yorkshire Police
		Councillor Jack Clarkson	-	Stocksbridge Town Council
		Councillor W. Kaye	-	Stocksbridge Town Council
		Tony Crellin	-	Stocksbridge Futures Partnership
		Jim Croft	-	Stocksbridge Training and Enterprise Partnership (STEP)
		Councillor H. House	-	Ecclesfield Parish Council
		Elise Gilwhite	-	Sheffield Primary Care Trust
		Joanne Holt	-	Sheffield Futures

		City Council Officers:-
		John Charlton	-	Lead Manager and Director of Street Force
		Mike Shaw	-	Street Force
		Matthew Rush	-	Area Action
		Craig Broadwith	-	Urban Design and Environmental Planning
		Andy Slaney	-	Urban Design and Environmental Planning
		Peter Berry	-	Transport and Highways
		Julie Ward	-	Children and Young People’s Directorate
		Jason Dietsch	-	Committee Secretariat

Approximately 38 members of the public and representatives of Panel Partners attended the meeting.

………………..

					Action
1.	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE FROM MEMBERS OF THE PANEL
	Apologies for absence were received from Councillors David Baker, Alison Brelsford, Martin Brelsford, Patricia Fox and Graham Oxley.

2.	PUBLIC QUESTIONS AND PETITIONS
	There were no public questions or petitions received by the Panel.

3.	STOCKSBRIDGE CHILDREN'S CENTRE
	Tony Crellin, Stocksbridge Futures Partnership, outlined proposals for a Children's Centre in Stocksbridge. The previous application for a Children's Centre in Stocksbridge had been refused planning permission and in order that the potential investment from Objective 1 funding was not lost, new proposals had recently been developed, upon which it was intended to consult with local people.
	A number of Projects were being undertaken in Stocksbridge, including improvements to the Town Hall and substantial work at the site of the Victory Club and it was in line with these opportunities that proposals were now made to accommodate elements of the Children's Centre on the site of the Victory Club.
	Space had been identified to the rear of the Club and following consultation, Objective 1 had indicated the support for such a link being made to an existing Project. At the time of reporting no detailed designs were complete, although such work would need to be finished by late August, 2007, and there were also other critical timescales to be considered in relation to the application for Objective 1 funding and the Department for Education and Skills.
	Jim Croft (Chair of Trustees, STEP Development Trust) also addressed the Panel and commented that STEP provided a Nursery and Children's Centre in Stocksbridge but had agreed that such provision could transfer to the proposed Children's Centre in Stocksbridge. The aim at this time was both to maintain a potential for investment, which accompanied the Children's Centre in the area and to develop a new childcare facility.
	Julie Ward, Children and Young People’s Directorate (Early Years Service) explained the concept of Children's Centres and the criteria, which would need to be fulfilled and presented to the Department for Education and Skills. She added that clear links would be required with the three primary schools in Stocksbridge.
	Members of the public and Members of the Panel asked questions and commented in relation to the Children's Centre and responses were made as follows:-

	· It was confirmed that following the refusal of the erection of a Children's Centre at Stocksbridge Nursery and Infant School, Pott House Lane, Stocksbridge, by the Council's West and North Planning and Highways Area Board at its meeting on 22nd May, 2007, the site would not be reconsidered as a potential location for a Children's Centre.

	· As to whether parts of the previous application needed to be resubmitted, it was confirmed that contact had already been made with the Department for Education and Skills in relation to the revised proposals and that, in Stocksbridge, schools were already working on extended activities to complement a Children's Centre. It was also confirmed that there were community spaces for parents to use at two of the existing primary schools, although this would be for a service at a minimum level and that the agreement of the Department for Education and Skills was required prior to any advancement of the project.

	· In relation to the site for the proposed Children's Centre, there was surplus land at the side of the Victory Club, which, due to other improvement works at the Club, was now accessible and would accommodate a new building. It was confirmed that drainage difficulties on the site of the Victory Club had now been resolved.

	· In relation to governance of the Children's Centre, proposals were being considered for a combined Board of Governors, which could include Governors of schools in Stocksbridge.

	· The next steps for the Project were to liaise with the Early Years Education Service in relation to funding and the submission of proposals to the Department for Education and Skills. Liaison would also be undertaken with Stocksbridge Town Council and the Local Community Forum and consultation would take place with residents in areas adjacent to the proposed site.

	The Panel were informed that a meeting would be held with the Stocksbridge Community Forum on Wednesday, 25th July, 2007, at the Christian Centre, starting at 7.00 p.m., Cedar Road, at which a further opportunity would be given for members of the public to express their views in relation to the Children's Centre.

	The Chair, Councillor Alan Hooper, also stated that the Area Panel would be able to facilitate meetings in relation to the Children's Centre.

	(Councillor Trevor Bagshaw took the Chair for the above item, Councillor Alan Hooper having left the Chair on the grounds that he was a Member of the Council's West and North Area Planning and Highways Board and therefore did not participate in discussion.)

4.	HIGHWAYS UPDATE
	John Charlton, Director of Street Force, made a presentation to the Panel in relation to the storm and floods of 25th June, 2007, and outlined the results of the flooding in relation to highways and proposals for affected highways.
	The storms on 25th June were caused by fluvial or river water. Following the flooding, a major clean up operation was undertaken from 26th June, 2007, to deal with the large number of cars which had been submerged and were write offs and other damage to carriageways, footways and structures, including the removal of slurry and debris. The estimated level of insurance claims for the industrial area of Sheffield was £750m.
	John Charlton referred to a number of highways in the North of the City and the damage to those highways and what had been done to make these safe. In relation to Claywheels Lane for example, it would cost an estimated £1.5m to repair the damaged area of highway and although this road had been made safe, an indication of funding to enable this work to take place was awaited from the Government before permanent repairs could be made.
	A survey had been undertaken of the road network and the Government Office had been made aware of the damage associated with flooding for highways and bridges in the City, which was estimated at a repair cost of £20m.
	A substantial amount of debris between bridges had been one result of the flooding and, although this was actually a matter for the Environment Agency, some debris had been removed by Street Force to make these areas safe. The riparian owners of relevant stretches of river bank were responsible for the adjacent stretches of the river, although the Environment Agency did possess a budget to undertake clean up operations.
	The structural integrity of bridges affected by the floods had been checked and a more detailed inspection of the 94 key structures was to be undertaken by a consultant as part of the preparations for a highways private finance initiative.
	The A61 was open only to one-way traffic between the Crown Inn and Hallwood Road and although the road had been patched it was considered useable only to one-way traffic at the time of reporting. It was intended that the highway be put back into two way use for traffic before the end of the school Summer holidays. John Charlton stated that affected residents would be written to, to outline what was being done in relation to the A61 and to Middlewood Road. The water company had proposed that the water main be replaced along Middlewood Road on the surface as a temporary measure, although a decision had been made that Middlewood Road could not be reopened to traffic and this decision had been confirmed by a consultant, appointed for design and investigatory work. Additional publicity would be put in place for public information purposes in relation to work to the affected highways including by letter, in the newspapers and on Radio Sheffield.
	Collapse of roads or damage was also reported on Ughill Wood Road and Sidings Hollow, Dungworth. It was considered that the diversion for the A6102 had temporarily been made on roads which were not suitable for long term, heavier traffic and there was strengthening work to do on these highways. It was confirmed that the only permanent repair work being undertaken by the Council was in relation to the A61 (Crown Inn) as this was a primary route. Repairs on a permanent basis for the remainder of the damaged highways in the City were considered to be too costly and beyond the means of the City Council and Government resources were awaited before such work could commence.
	Members of the Panel and public asked questions and commented upon the presentation now made by the Director of Street Force and responses were made as follows:-

	· Comment was made that the A6102 carried a number of heavy goods vehicles through Deepcar and it was considered that this highway did not appear suitable for use by such heavy vehicles and requested that the A61 be used by such vehicles instead. In response, the Panel were informed that heavy goods vehicles did cause the majority of damage to highways, although it was the damage related to the storm, which had served to scour the embankment of that highway and, due to this erosion, the road had slipped. This request for the use of an alternative route by heavy goods vehicles in future could be put to Transport and Highways Officers.				John Charlton

	· Councillor Trevor Bagshaw commented upon damage in Chapeltown and asked whether an assessment had been made of highway damage in that area and in response John Charlton stated that no major structural damage to the highway in Chapeltown had been reported, although the area had been flooded.

	· Councillor Bagshaw also commented that the route of the Upper Don Walk had been adversely affected by debris left once the waters had subsided and expressed the wish that both visible debris and debris within the water be removed and John Charlton responded that the Environment Agency had been requested to inspect the City's rivers with a view to the removal of such debris. He also commented that the City's Director of Development Services, David Curtis, was leading a team to consider future responses to such events including improving the prediction of such events and planning for consequences. Councillor Bagshaw requested that the Upper Don Walk Trust be made aware of the action proposed. John Charlton commented upon the estimated costs of damage to public footpaths.				John Charlton

	· Councillor Bagshaw also commented upon the dangers of young people playing in the vicinity of rivers and pointed to a particular recent example.

	· Councillor Martin Davis requested that items such as sandbags and pumps could be kept in local sites rather than centrally, such as in Deepcar, Oughtibridge and Wharncliffe Side where particular difficulties had been experienced in obtaining sandbags and other materials to protect structures and Councillor Alan Hooper responded, stating that there was a role for the Parish and Town Councils in drawing up local disaster plans. John Charlton stated that the Council's Chief Executive had arranged for a meeting to be held relating to lessons learned from the storms and associated flooding and that the issue of localised resources could be raised.				John Charlton

	· A request was made that when the A61 was closed for works any diversion not be made using Hollow Gate and other similar minor roads.

	· Reference was made to the condition of the rail route from Stocksbridge to Sheffield.

	The Chair, Councillor Alan Hooper, on behalf of the Panel thanked John Charlton, Director of Street Force, for all of the work undertaken by Street Force following the recent flooding.



5.	CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISALS - MIDHOPESTONES AND ECCLESFIELD
	Andrew Slaney and Craig Broadwith addressed the Panel in relation to Conservation Area Appraisals and management proposals for Midhopestones and Ecclesfield Conservation Areas. Andrew Slaney made a presentation and explained that 35 conservation areas had been designated in Sheffield since 1967. The Midhopestones Conservation Area was designated in October, 1976, and the Ecclesfield Conservation Area designated in June, 1977.
	Local Planning Authorities had a duty to review Conservation Areas from time to time and produce proposals for their preservation and enhancement and the appraisal process would define what contributed to the special character of a Conservation Area and resultant management proposals would present recommendations, which would help to preserve and enhance the area in the future.
	Andrew Slaney went on to define the elements, which combined to create the special character of a Conservation Area such as individual buildings, streetscape, the relationship between the built and natural environment and architectural details.

	Midhopestones Conservation Area
	The area was characterised as a small farming hamlet located between Sheffield and the Peak District, possessing an open rural character with a high proportion of listed manorial, ecclesiastical and agricultural buildings. Trees, footpaths and green lanes added to the special character of the area, together with a homogeneity of buildings with squared grit stone or grit stone rubble used in their construction. It was proposed that the Conservation Area in Midhopestones be extended.

	Ecclesfield Conservation Area
	Ecclesfield was characterised as one of the oldest settlements in Sheffield and focused around a Grade 1 Listed Church. There were good surviving examples of small-scale industrial buildings, a varied mix of building types and a distinct identity and sense of place, quite separate from neighbouring Sheffield.
	Proposals relating to both Conservation Areas would include measures to prevent the loss of historic features, protection of buildings for townscape merit, to encourage the use of historic materials for boundary walls and to resist the removal of significant trees and tree groups and to further opportunities for the enhancement of the Public Realm.
	The consultation period for Midhopestones and Ecclesfield Conservation Areas ended on Friday, 20th July, 2007, and the public were given the opportunity to put forward their views on the appraisal and management proposals, which affected their area. The documents would be amended according to comments received during the consultation period and the results would be taken to a meeting of the relevant Planning and Highways Area Board. Appraisals would then become a material consideration in both determining planning applications and informing and shaping future planning policies in the Sheffield Development Framework and would be reviewed and amended in the future as necessary.
	Finally, Andrew Slaney informed the Panel of methods by which the public could contact the Conservation and Design Team and view appraisals and management proposals, using the Council's website for advice by telephone on 2734223.
	Members of the public and Panel made comments upon the appraisals and management proposals and responses were given as follows:-

	· It was confirmed that village plans and appraisals had been used to inform the Conservation Area appraisal process.

	· In response to a question from Councillor Trevor Bagshaw as to whether the Midhopestones Conservation Area could be extended beyond the A616 and whether Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council also had an equivalent Conservation Area covering the remainder of Midhopestones on the other side of the A616. The Panel were informed that Barnsley had not designated a Conservation Area in Midhopestones, although some buildings on the Barnsley side were listed and stated that further dialogue would be required with Barnsley.

	· The Panel were informed that some consideration was given to extending the Ecclesfield Conservation Area so as to join that Conservation Area with Grenoside. However, this would be difficult to justify due to the fragmented nature of the historic townscape between Ecclesfield and Grenoside. Individual historic buildings that were not currently listed, but may be considered as buildings of townscape merit, could in the future be included as part of a local list of historic buildings in the City. This would provide an acknowledgement of their importance and possible future protection under new heritage legislation. There had also been suggestions that small areas within Ecclesfield could be joined together.

	· Provision within the Sheffield Development Framework would enhance the protection of listed buildings and other important elements within Conservation Areas as would heritage protection legislation, which was being introduced, although it was acknowledged that at the same time the Government was introducing measures to ease the ability of those in domestic properties to make alterations to theiier homes. It was also clarified that individuals could make application to the Council for the addition of areas to a Conservation Area.

	· In response to a question concerning the likelihood of previous decisions related to Conservation Areas being overturned where the character of an area had changed or fabric of particular buildings had changed so that they might not be considered as historically important and therefore restrictions to proposed alterations might not apply, the Panel were informed that this was one of the drivers of the appraisal process and in such cases buildings or areas might be removed from a Conservation Area. The Council were evaluating all the City’s Conservation Areas so that protection continued to be given to the most important parts, other important historic areas were protected that had not been considered previously and others that no longer had a special character were removed, to ensure that the designation of such areas reflects the current historic environment that exists within the City.

	· It was confirmed that Park Hill flats were listed Grade 2*.

	· Councillor Trevor Bagshaw asked how it was intended to manage and balance the Government's wish to protect historic buildings by stronger legislation and, at the same time, the wish to make it easier for people to make alterations to their properties with less interference from the planning process. In response, the Panel were informed that a careful balance needed to be struck between preservation of the historic character of an area and the rights of householders living within that area. Only in cases where it was felt that there was a serious threat to a Conservation Area would consideration be given to the use of an Article 4(2) Direction relating to the removal of permitted development rights. It was hoped that the appraisal process would help to bring to people's attention the value of historic properties and Members were informed that further guidance would be produced on conservation areas, both in general form and more specific information leaflets relating to windows, roofs and rainwater goods.

	The Chair, Councillor Alan Hooper, thanked Andy Slaney and Craig Broadwith on behalf of the Panel and requested that consultation relating to appraisals for other Conservation Areas in the North of the City be brought to the Panel's attention at the earliest opportunity. This would allow Area Panel meetings to be scheduled in the relevant area at the time of the Conservation Appraisal.

6.	PARISH COUNCIL MATTERS
	Councillor Vickie Priestley, on behalf of Bradfield Parish Council, drew the Panel's attention to flood damage to Coronation Park and asked whether funding would be available from various sources to help repair and restore the Park. Councillor Alan Hooper commented that the ground at the park was contaminated and elements of park furniture had been damaged. He suggested that Bradfield Parish Council make a full assessment of the costs and priorities for restoring the park to its condition prior to the 25th June, 2007.				Bradfield Parish Council/ Area Co-ordinator
	Councillor Jack Clarkson, Stocksbridge Town Council referred to correspondence sent by Stocksbridge Town Council to the City Council prior to the storms on 25th June, 2007, in relation to drainage issues and the implications of new developments in Stocksbridge given some areas in Stocksbridge being susceptible to flooding.
	Councillor W M Kaye, Stocksbridge Town Council, referred to a clean up prior to judging for Yorkshire in Bloom and thanked the Council's Street Force. She also reported that the railings had been painted at Vaughton Hill.
	Discussion was held in relation to the riparian ownership of riverside areas in Sheffield and it was felt that riparian owners needed to be made aware of their responsibilities as individual property owners.
	Comment was also made that the increasing number of hard standings to the front of people's properties and decreasing grassed or permeable surfaces also contributed to surface run-off and that consideration might be given to advising people on the implications for the environment and (particularly for drainage) of installing such hard surfaces which were not permeable, together with the lessening of on-road parking when kerbs were dropped. In relation to the latter, the Council could only refuse applications for dropped kerbs where there were valid reasons in planning terms.

7.	MINUTES
	The minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 20th June, 2007, were approved as a correct record.

8.	FUTURE MEETINGS
	The Panel noted that a special meeting would be held in relation to the Sheffield Development Framework on Tuesday, 24th July, 2007, starting at 6.30 p.m. at Loxley Primary School, Rodney Hill, Loxley, and that the next scheduled meeting of the Panel will be held on Wednesday, 19th September, 2007, at a venue to be confirmed within West Ecclesfield.

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