Sheffield City Council has voted in favour of a new Local Plan at its meeting on 14 May 2025. Greens voted for the plan as we are clear: having a Local Plan is vitally important because it sets the policy that will govern planning applications in Sheffield for the next 15 years.
Rejecting the Local Plan would not have protected the Green Belt from development. It would have made unplanned development on any part of the Green Belt more likely.
Speaking after the full council meeting, Green Group Leader, Councillor Douglas Johnson, said,
“I can’t believe that any councillor would vote against having a Local Plan after we have all campaigned for so many years to get a new, strengthened planning policy. If the Lib Dems had succeeded, developers would be able to build all over the city – including on the Green Belt.
“As Greens, we oppose building on the Green Belt. We also oppose building on lots of areas that are not in the Green Belt but are of ecological importance or provide important green space for communities.
“A new local plan is critical for Sheffield and will govern every planning application for the next 15 years and beyond. Without an up-to-date local plan, the Council can’t stop poor quality property development. It will set standards to improve the quality of new places for people to live, not maximise profits for developers.
“Without a new local plan, ultimately the Government could step in and set its own plan, which would be much worse for the city. It would lead to even more building in the Green Belt.
“There is going to be a public consultation and this will allow everyone to put their comments in. The comments from the consultation go directly to the Planning Inspector, who is the decision-maker here, rather than the council.
“Planning policy in the UK is very centralised. Alternative approaches would be to make developers build on sites that already have planning permission, invest in council housing and tackle empty homes. But that is for national government, not within the powers of the council.
“The real argument will take place if and when a developer comes up with a planning application for building on any particular site. This is when local people and Councillors will have an opportunity to express their views and provide evidence on any development proposals. When any proposals are brought forward – wherever they are located in the city – they need to be assessed against a new, stronger Local Plan, so that the right balance between development and the needs of people and planet are maintained.”
Cllr Angela Argenzio said,
“Councillors who opposed the Local Plan while failing to come up with an alternative proposal put all Green Belt sites in Sheffield at risk of development by private companies. If there is no Local Plan, the land will still be up for grabs, as will all the Green Belt land in Sheffield. The Government’s new Planning and Infrastructure Bill is going to make it easier for developers to build on nature-rich land. With protections for nature and habitats decreasing, we need to set more standards for developments in Sheffield, not less.”
“People deserve more from their local politicians than cynical opportunism in pursuit of votes. It is simply misleading to promise that voting against the local plan will protect land from private development.”
The additional sites identified in the new Local Plan will go to public consultation on 29th May.
Cllr Paul Turpin said,
“A Local Plan for Sheffield means that we can set higher building and sustainability standards for new homes. The Labour Government is already backtracking on nature-friendly measures like swift boxes – but – in Sheffield we will be able to make sure developers stick to the Plan.”
