Following Tuesday’s Planning Committee meeting Walkley Green Councillor Bernard Little has called for the Council to give a strong steer to officers to de-culvert large sections of the River Sheaf on the Castlegate site.
The Planning Application to redevelop the former Castle Market site was passed by Committee but the de-culverting of the River Sheaf was left as a reserved matter to be determined outside the meeting.
The Environment Agency and the Sheaf and Porter River Trust have both called for a greater emphasis in the development proposals on de-culverting.
Councillor Little speaking after the Planning and Highways Committee meeting said,
“ As things stand the application still has large sections of the River Sheaf still covered from public view. If this is followed through to the actual development we will have missed a great opportunity to rediscover the river that named our city and we will not gain the many benefits that come from having open water running through an urban environment.
“The positive impact on people’s well-being and on local biodiversity of being close to a flowing river are well known. We should really be giving a stronger steer to the Council that we need to be improving the local environment when we develop somewhere as important to our heritage as the site of the former Sheffield Castle. That is why I am calling for this matter to be raised by the Council’s Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee so they can give a strong steer to the Council that we want to see greater de-culverting of large sections of the river and making it accessible to the public in line with proposals from Sheaf and Porter River Trust”
