The countryside charity CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire has welcomed our campaign victory against plans for a new Loxley valley township.
CPRE PDSY has written an open letter to Friends of the Loxley Valley following the Sheffield City Council decision to refuse planning permission.
The charity’s chief executive Tomo Thompson congratulates Friends of the Loxley valley on a successful campaign.
His letter says the campaign follows the best traditions of Sheffield’s rural communities making their voices heard.
“Sheffield and its surrounding towns and villages have a long and rich history in standing up for themselves and for what is right,” he says.
“The disgruntled nattering at the bus stop, down the pub, and over the garden fence gains traction until streets, communities, villages, and towns join together and try to endeavour to put right what communities believe to be wrong.
“The success of the Friends of the Loxley Valley campaign is the most recent example of this.”
Friends of the Loxley Valley worked with CPRE SYPD and many other local organisations to object to the proposed new township.
The campaign resulted in over 900 objections from local people and groups, including our councillors and MPs.
Patrick Properties Strategic Land Ltd proposed up to 300 homes on the abandoned refractory works site in the valley bottom.
They bought the old factories two years ago. They have stood empty since Hepworth plc stopped production in the 1990s.
But Sheffield City Council’s Planning Committee has voted unanimously to REFUSE planning permission.
Friends of the Loxley Valley response
Friends of the Loxley Valley have thanked CPRE SYPD for the warm and supportive letter.
We are also extremely grateful for the specialist support they have given us for many years.
We appreciate this expertise comes at a considerable cost for a small charity.
The charity’s letter sets out how local people can support their work.
- Please click here to read the letter in full if you would like to learn more
- Please click here if you would like to visit the CPRE PDSY website
Thanks to everybody else who’s standing up for the Loxley valley
Friends of the Loxley Valley have been overwhelmed by the passionate support we’ve received in recent months.
Many thousands of people have visited this website and followed our social media channels.
Hundreds upon hundreds of you put pen to paper to voice your concerns to the city council planners.
And your voices were echoed and supported by your elected MPs and councillors.
Also by numerous local organisations who added their expert knowledge. We won’t list everybody here for fear of missing someone out. You KNOW who you are, and we’re grateful and humbled.
A special shout-out as well to the people who joined us and the Loxley Valley Design Group in speaking to the Planning Committee:
- our Stannington ward councillor, Penny Baker
- Andy Tickle from CPRE PDSY
- Nicky Rivers from the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust
- Robin Hughes from the Hallamshire Historic Buildings Society
And a shout-out too for our sister organisation, the Rivelin Valley Conservation Group, who’ve stood by us all the way.
Thanks everyone!!
