15 Dec 2005 - Forgotten estates residents back Beeley Wood masterplan

LEADING community worker is backing the £175m housing, business and leisure masterplan will take a forgotten part of Sheffield and revitalise its future.

Jane Darby has been liaising with regeneration experts Menta for the past year on their plans to build the Beeley Wood Sustainable Community scheme on a 42-acre site in Sheffields Upper Don Valley.

Mentas multi-million pound plans for the mixed-use development which includes affordable housing, business and leisure opportunities, transport links and 900 jobs will provide the long-awaited solution to kick-start the regeneration of the UCAR site in north Sheffield Claywheels Lane area.

Jane, who is development worker at Middlewood Winners nursery, says the proposed plans and improvements, which will stretch as far as Winn Gardens, could finally see age old ownership issues brought to the fore and isolation problems solved.

She said: Menta has played a crucial role in involving local residents from the 300-house estate built in the 1960s every step of the way in the project.

They have directly used residents feedback for this planned development. We have all felt involved right from the start. Thats been really important for the people here.

For a long while residents feel there has never been any ownership from agencies about what happens here. There has been no real improvements since the estate was built. It is a really forgotten area.

But these plans mean our priorities will be addressed. We have welcomed the chance to grasp the opportunity which is being presented to us. We have spent more than 10 years campaigning on issues like the Black Path and Niagara Wier and got nowhere. These plans, if passed, will see things move finally in the right direction.

The proposals to the scheme, which is split residential, business and leisure, have been viewed extremely favourably by residents living nearby.

Jane added: The huge positives for residents about this scheme is that it hits lots of hot spots which have had years of neglect and never been improved.

This is a small isolated estate with a close knit community based there but these plans, if they get the go-ahead, will really put us on the map.

There are many positives here like the beautiful views, countryside and wildlife and all a short bus ride from the city centre of Sheffield.

Areas including popular but dilapidated The Black Path and the neglected Niagara Wier area off Claywheels Lane will be addressed as part of the project.

Jane added: Up until Mentas involvement there has been no ownership of projects therefore no-one has been interested in taking the areas forward and improving them.

The Masterplan, developed by Menta with consultants Building Design Partnerships, Cushman & Wakefield Healey & Baker and Arup, highlights the potential for a transformational change to the area.

Menta director Craig Marks said: The site could be the key to Winn Gardens future over the next 25 years and we are extremely grateful to residents for their feedback on this project.

Good old fashioned community spirit exists there. Our design brief for the UCAR site to the architects was to follow the streetscape of old Sheffield we've emulated that community spirit in our plans. The community we create will have these same aspects.

We have spent more than a year finding out what local people think about the plans. It has opened our eyes and allowed us to enhance our vision for the future. It really has shown us the value of public consultations.

We have seen the potential in Sheffield and are committed to delivering the scheme. Planning applications are now submitted and we look forward to working closely with the Council to deliver their vision for the Upper Don Valley.

Further public consultation is planned for the new year where Menta is expected to update residents on proposals.

ENDS