Friends of the Loxley Valley are doing some more environmental stewardship work with Yorkshire Water’s countryside rangers, on their Rickett Bank woodland site at Damflask.
Yorkshire Water have felled mature conifer trees over the last few years and replaced them with native hardwood trees like oak and beech. They hope to get the woods alongside Ughill Brook closer to their natural state.
The little saplings have spent their first few years growing inside plastic tree guards to protect them from damage. But they’ve now outgrown the guards and they need removing.
We’ve agreed to help the Yorkshire Water team to do this. Our volunteers will be there with them for a couple of hours from 10am until about 3pm on Monday, April 28th. Anyone else who’d like to join in is very welcome, and we don’t expect you to stay for the whole five hours if you have other commitments. Please email our committee member Nick Blaney at nicbla62@gmail.com if you’d like to come along.
You’ll need stout footwear suitable for a muddy path, and clothing to suit the weather on the day. Yorkshire Water will provide supervision and any other equipment needed. If you plan to do the full five hours, we’d recommend bringing refreshments and a packed lunch.
The session follows recent work that we’ve been doing with Yorkshire Water to keep their permissive path tidy and clear of obstruction. We’d like to think that we’re helping to make a difference to this lovely little woodland valley.
PLEASE NOTE: the date for our next work session with Yorkshire Water is now Thursday, March 13th. Please see details at the end of this post.
Friends of the Loxley Valley volunteers are helping Yorkshire Water to clear a badly overgrown footpath at Damflask.
Gorse, brambles and young self-set trees have been pushing their way across the permissive path at Rickett Bank.
The path threads its way along the banks of the beautiful Ughill Brook where it flows into the south west tip of Damflask reservoir at the bottom of Oaks Lane.
But the rampant vegetation was making it hard to walk along without stumbling on trip hazards and blockages.
So Friends of the Loxley Valley have helped Yorkshire Water’s rangers to hack back the jungle and make the path easier to access.
Why did Friends of the Loxley Valley decide to help?
We stepped in after our committee member Nick Blaney alerted the ranger team to the poor state of the path.
“It’s a beautiful little valley, and the Yorkshire Water path connects to public rights of way that go deeper along it,” said Nick.
“It seemed such a shame that it was getting so hard to walk along.
“I asked Yorkshire Water if they could do anything about it, and I also said we could chip in a bit of elbow grease if needed.”
Yorkshire Water own the land on both sides of the path. It’s an ancient woodland site, but until recently it was becoming dominated by conifers that had been planted for their timber.
They’ve now mostly been felled and replaced by young native hardwood trees, in an effort by Yorkshire Water to produce a more diverse ecosystem.
They say they’d welcome community involvement as they try to draw up a management plan to look after the woods and the path that runs through them.
We’ve pencilled in another footpath maintenance session as a first step towards this. It’ll take place at 10am on Monday 10th March , when we hope to do more work to improve the path. All welcome. (N.B. this date has now changed to Thursday 13th March – please message Nick Blaney on Facebook if you’d like to come along).
Before and after. Here’s a badly overgrown stretch of the path, where prickly gorse bushes were blocking the way…
Friends of the Loxley Valley are delighted to have received a grant of £4,478 from Bradfield Parish Council to help tell the story of the valley’s water power heritage.
The grant means we can start to put up interpretation boards and finger posts along the valley.
We hope they’ll help to increase awareness of the historic water wheel sites that thread all the way along it.
The signs will also showcase the beautiful landscape along the valley. And they will tell how nature has threaded through the old water power remains to create outstanding habitat for wildlife.
Bradfield Parish Council chairperson Penny Baker presented the generous grant cheque to FoLV committee members David Holmes and Diana Conheeney. The presentation took place before the council’s November meeting in the council chamber at Low Bradfield.
The meeting was open to everyone who lives in the parish. Local groups made presentations, and parishioners then ranked the bids to decide which groups would receive grants.
The grants came from funds set aside for community projects.
Friends of the Loxley Valley would like to thank everyone who voted for our bid. The standard of all the bids was very high, and it is humbling to know that we have succeeded.
Friends of the Loxley Valley hope to win funding from Bradfield Parish Council to help tell the story of the valley’s fascinating water power heritage.
We plan to put up interpretation boards and finger posts in the valley to increase awareness of the historic water wheel sites that thread all the way along it.
The signs will also showcase the beautiful landscape along the valley. And they will tell how nature has threaded through the old water power remains to create outstanding habitat for wildlife.
They will also feature “QR codes” linking to multimedia online materials that will tell the story in greater detail.
The winning bids will be decided by a vote of parishioners who attend an open public meeting. This is at Worrall Memorial Hall on Thursday 24th October.
All the organisations who’ve made funding bids will make presentations at the meeting. And people who go along will have chance to ask questions before they cast their votes.
The meeting runs from 6pm to 8.30pm.
We’re urging Friends of the Loxley members and supporters to go along and support us on the night!
Thank you so much if you’re able to make it.
What’s special about water power in the Loxley valley?
The old water wheel sites in fast-flowing rivers like the Loxley and Rivelin played a vital role in Sheffield’s industrial history.
Weirs across the rivers harnessed the water for numerous grinding shops and forges. They were packed all the way along the valleys.
Many of the water power sites in the Loxley were rebuilt after the tragic Sheffield Flood of 1864, using updated engineering techniques. They now complement the earlier, smaller water wheel sites in the Rivelin.
Taken together, the two valleys contain a set of water power remains of international historical significance. Several of the Loxley valley sites contain listed buildings. The Little Matlock water power system is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
All the water power sites in both valleys also feature on the South Yorkshire Local Heritage List, following our successful bid last year.
Why do we need signage in the Loxley valley?
Sadly the Loxley lags some way behind the Rivelin. There’s no signage on the ground to tell the valley’s story.
The Rivelin Valley Conservation Group have worked hard to put up interpretation boards and finger posts explaining the rich industrial heritage.
We think this literally signposts why the Rivelin valley is special. And we think it helps to express local pride and sense of place.
We’d like to learn from their success and do something similar.
They say readily accessible information is important to help people to understand and celebrate Sheffield’s heritage.
Now we need your support too! Please vote for us on Thursday evening if you can.
A reminder: the participatory budget meeting is at Worrall Memorial Hall on Towngate Road, from 6pm to 8.30pm on Thursday, 24th October. You must live in the Bradfield Parish Council area if you wish to go along and vote.
We’ve drawn inspiration from signs and finger posts along the neighbouring Rivelin valley.
These posts in the Rivelin valley include QR codes that take people online for more detail about water power history.
Friends of the Loxley Valley are appealing for help to beat back the rapidly spreading Himalayan Balsam that is threatening to dominate parts of the local riverside landscape.
We’re asking you to let us know if you spot the invasive plant taking a toehold in the valley. This will help us to organise “balsam bashing” sessions to stop it getting out of control.
We hope to remove as much of the balsam as we can. This will help to stop it becoming dominant and stifling native plants along the Loxley valley. But we need your help to do it!
What is Himalayan Balsam?
Himalayan Balsam, or Indian Balsam, is a non-native plant that was introduced to the UK about 200 years ago.
It’s also sometimes known as “jumping jack”. This is because of its explosive seed pods that can fire seeds up to seven metres from the parent plant.
Each of these plants can be between 6ft and 10ft tall. And each plant can produce up to 800 seeds! Seedlings start growing rapidly from early May and flower in late August or early September before the seed pods develop.
Its tall canopy blocks out light, stifling smaller native plants.
Bees and other pollinators are attracted to balsam blossom in preference to other flowers. This reduces plant diversity and ultimately affects the food chain for local wildlife.
Balsam also alters soil conditions. It’s shallow rooted, and once it dies back there’s less root matter to bind the soil. This increases the risk of erosion and the silting of watercourses.
And it blocks access to paths and waterways, costing time and money to clear it from affected areas.
Small wonder that it’s an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act to plant or cause balsam to grow in the wild.
How can we tackle Himalayan Balsam in the Loxley valley?
Himalayan Balsam growing in the Acorn Hill woods near Low Matlock.
Balsam is now prevalent along the River Don. It’s spreading rapidly as the climate gets warmer and wetter. And it’s gaining a hold in tributaries such as the Loxley and Rivelin. It spreads downstream.
We need your help to identify places where Himalayan Balsam is growing in the Loxley valley.
Once we know where it is, we hope to undertake “balsam bashing” sessions in August and early September before it sets seed. We may also do a few trial runs at other times of year.
We hope to work with Riverlution and the Don Catchment River Trust who can provide equipment, expertise and skills to tackle more inaccessible areas.
In the short term – before the end of July – if you spot any please note the location and let Nick Blaney, who is a FoLV member and is coordinating the survey, know on nicbla62@gmail.com.
Ideally we need either an Ordnance Survey grid reference or a what3words location. If you have a smartphone, OSLocate is a great piece of free software and of course there is the what3words app. If you can, please also take a picture.
How can I identify Himalayan Balsam in the Loxley valley?
You can identify it very easily in the flowering season from its bright pink or purple flowers.
But it’s also very distinctive during the growing season with its large serrated leaves that grow at right angles to the leaves above and below them.
It can grow between 6ft and 10ft tall. See pictures of both states at the bottom of this post. There is also a great video to help identification on youtube.
If you feel it is safe to do so and you are confident in your identification, you can remove balsam yourself. Pull from the base to get the shallow roots out of the ground, snap the stalk between the roots and the first node, and leave the plants in a dry space, well above the waterline and potential high water level. Please do not leave on the footpath itself though.
Please still take photos before and after, and let us know the location via the email address above.
Thanks very much for your help in this!
For up to date details of our balsam clearance work, please see the separate Balsam Bashing page that we’ve set up on this website. We’ll use the page to publicise details of the clearance sessions, and to report on progress as the work gets underway. You’ll find the page here: https://friendsoftheloxleyvalley.com/balsam-bashing-in-the-loxley-valley/
The Sheffield-based housing company Sky-House has launched new plans for the regeneration and redevelopment of the redundant Hepworth factory site in the Loxley valley.
Sky-House propose to build around 60 single-storey dwellings in a way that cleans up the largely derelict site.
They claim this will “ensure the beauty and tranquillity of the valley is preserved for future generations to enjoy”.
They say their aim is “a national exemplar that Sheffield can be proud of”.
The new proposals follow the rejection of the earlier scheme by the site owners Patrick Properties to build 300 houses.
Sheffield City Council refused planning permission for the 300 houses. The scheme was then rejected by a Planning Inspector following an appeal by Patrick Properties and a five-day planning inquiry hearing.
The Planning Inspector ruled in 2021 that development on that scale would cause serious harm to the Green Belt setting. He also questioned the sustainability of the development.
Friends of the Loxley Valley (FoLV) opposed the earlier development and took part in the planning inquiry alongside CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire.
There were also nearly a thousand objections to the original scheme.
Details of the new scheme are still emerging. Sky-House have told FoLV that they are now beginning “pre-application” discussions with Sheffield City Council to determine what might be acceptable on the site.
This is with a view to submitting a detailed planning application towards the end of this year.
FoLV have met Sky-House and the site owners Patrick Properties. We have told them why we believe the site is so sensitive, and why we think local people feel so strongly about it.
We have urged them to consult as widely as possible and to listen to a broad range of opinions before applying for planning permission.
FoLV also urged them to spell out their thinking and to make their ideas public so that everyone can have their say. They have now done this on a website they launched this week: https://loxleyvalley.co.uk/
The proposals have also been summarised in a story on The Star website published today: https://tinyurl.com/3twya665
What happens next?
FoLV will consult its membership as things progress. We also trust that Sky-House will consult the many people and organisations who offered views on the earlier planning application.
We hope they will listen carefully to a wide range of opinions, and that these will be reflected in a carefully considered planning application.
Once a planning application is submitted, everyone will have the right to read it and to send their views to planning officers before councillors meet to decide whether to approve it.
At this early stage, we think it’s really important that everyone takes the opportunity to have their say.
Great news for the Loxley valley – our historic water power sites along the valley have received official recognition on the South Yorkshire Local Heritage List.
Inclusion on the List reflects the local historic significance of the water power sites in the valley bottom, where numerous dams and water wheels powered industry for hundreds of years.
The listing provides details of twelve separate water power sites along the River Loxley and Storrs Brook, between Stacey Bank and Malin Bridge.
Together they made up an integrated water power system stretching the entire length of the valley.
Remains of most of them still exist in the form of weirs, dams, goits (water channels running adjacent to the river), mill buildings and some of the historic wheels and wheel pits.
Some of these sites are already recognised nationally as “Grade Two listed buildings”, reflecting their wider significance in the emergence of water power.
There are nationally listed water power buildings at Olive Mill, Low Matlock (which is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument), and Malin Bridge Corn Mill.
The South Yorkshire Local Heritage List identifies heritage features that do not enjoy national protection, but still contribute to the distinctiveness and history of the local area.
Adding the whole valley to the South Yorkshire List means local historic significance should be taken into account in any planning decisions that affect the water power remains, although it won’t provide the same level of protection as national designation.
How can I see details of the new South Yorkshire listing?
The South Yorkshire Local Heritage List has a dedicated website run by the South Yorkshire Archaeology Service.
All the heritage features that have been placed on the Local Heritage List can be viewed there.
How did the Loxley valley water power listing come about?
The listing submission was prepared by a heritage working group including members of Friends of the Loxley Valley, Friends of the Loxley Cemetery and the Bradfield Historical Society.
We began work last year, basing our research on local knowledge and observation, and also drawing extensively on the “Water Power on the Sheffield Rivers” book that was published by the South Yorkshire Industrial History Society. Our submission was approved and officially placed on the list this month (September 2023).
Together, the two valleys played a huge role in Sheffield’s emergence as a major industrial city.
We hope that these local heritage listings will help us to achieve further recognition and protection for our unique and fascinating local water power heritage.
The Olive Wheel weir near Rowell Bridge in the Loxley valley
Volunteers from Friends of the Loxley Valley have started work to “rediscover” historic stone slabs on the public footpath running up Loxley Bank from Rowell Bridge to Stannington.
We’ve cut back brambles and scraped off soil that had accumulated over many years. This had produced a thick layer of turf that was obliterating most of the original stone surface.
Underneath the turf, we were stunned to find the first stretch of the old slabs is still beautifully laid. The slabs are in excellent condition despite years of abandonment and neglect.
We’re not sure whether anybody knows the detailed history of the stones and when they were laid.
Potentially they date back hundreds of years. That’s when local mill owners needed a firm and dry surface to get workers and materials to and from the old water wheels in the valley bottom.
The footpath runs all the way up Loxley Bank, starting at the old packhorse bridge over the river and running through the fields to the Acorn Hill estate.
Bits of the old stone surface can be seen pretty much all the way up where the grass and scrub has not yet grown over it.
First steps to assess the task
Four volunteers from FoLV spent a couple of hours this week at the bottom end of the path to get an idea of how much work would be involved in clearing it.
We started at the top of the steps just above the packhorse bridge, and cleared a thick layer of bramble and scrub that had pushed out over the line of the path.
We then carefully used spades to scrape off the layer of roots and turf that was covering the stones.
Then we brushed and gently scraped the slabs underneath to reveal a 10 yard section of the original path in all its glory.
It’s a seriously impressive part of the Loxley valley heritage: a beautifully crafted four feet wide jigsaw of local stone, laid flat and with immaculately straight edges. Some real Sheffield craftwork went into creating this!
Should we take the project further?
Clearing these stones dovetails with the footpath stewardship work that we’ve agreed with the city council’s public rights of way officer.
Our work focuses mainly on the valley bottom path between Rowell Bridge and Olive Mill, but we’re gradually taking on other tasks when we have the volunteer numbers and the time.
We’d be very interested in the views of FoLV members and other local people on whether clearing the old stone path would be a footpath heritage project worth taking further.
If we’re to press on, we may need to set aside more time, and we may need more volunteers.
But just look at the photos below to see the section of path that we rediscovered in just a few hours this week. This is local heritage and local folk history! Wouldn’t it be a shame if it was to become lost and forgotten forever?
Friends of the Loxley Valley would like to thank Bradfield Parish Council for their generous £200 community grant towards our environmental work. This has helped to pay for our hi-vis vests, our work signs, and our public liability insurance.
Getting to grips with the forest of brambles that had grown over the old stone slabs
Scraping soil off the old stone slabs and brushing them clean
Job done! Volunteers Pete Hammond, Joanne Lee and Stewart Kemp give the thumbs up after clearing the first stretch of the old stone slabs
Historic Sheffield craftwork: a look back along the first stretch of stone slab footpath to be cleared by Friends of the Loxley Valley volunteers
The Green Belt countryside in the Loxley valley will remain protected from inappropriate development under the 15-year Sheffield planning blueprint that the city council has released for public consultation.
The draft Sheffield Local Plan sets out how the city will build 35,700 new homes to house an expanding population between 2024 and 2039.
Sheffield City Council says it can meet new housing and business needs without pushing the city further into the countryside. The only significant encroachment into the Green Belt is the old Norton Aerodrome site on the south of the city.
The council’s ambition is for a “compact, sustainable city” that meets its development requirements within the current urban area, and largely on well-connected brownfield sites.
The council agreed the draft Plan last month (December 2022) and is now inviting public comments before submitting it to the government Planning Inspectorate for independent examination.
What does the plan mean for the Loxley valley?
For the Loxley valley, this means the countryside between Loxley, Stannington and the Peak District National Park will continue to be protected from inappropriate development if the Plan gets approval.
The river valley from Malin Bridge to the national park boundary at Damflask will remain Green Belt land.
Much of it will also be designated as a Local Wildlife Site following the city’s declaration of a Biodiversity Emergency in 2021.
The valley west of Damflask and Dungworth is part of Sheffield, but it lies within the national park. This area is subject to separate planning policies overseen by the Peak District National Park Authority.
Green Belt does not mean there can be no new development at all. But it would be allowed only in exceptional circumstances when there would be no harm to the countryside environment, (this is why a Planning Inspector threw out the proposed Hepworth site redevelopment two years ago).
Friends of the Loxley Valley supports the Sheffield Local Plan
The Friends of the Loxley Valley committee has decided to support the Local Plan in principle. We will now study it in more detail before submitting comments to the city council.
We would also like to hear what you think about the Plan. If you have views that you think we should bear in mind, please email us at info@friendsoftheloxleyvalley.com
How you can take part in the Local Plan consultation process yourself
Anyone with an interest in the city’s future is entitled to submit comments on the Local Plan, so there is no reason why you should not take part yourself.
Friends of the Loxley Valley would encourage you to do this, especially if you have strong views about the future of the valley.
The deadline for comments is Monday, February 20th.
The draft Local Plan can be viewed online or in local libraries.
Sheffield City Council is also organising a series of public drop-in sessions.
The council has set up an online consultation portal with the dates of public consultation events. You can also use the portal to read and download all the Local Plan documents, consult an interactive map and register to post your comments: https://haveyoursaysheffield.uk.engagementhq.com/draft-local-plan
This extract from the council’s interactive map shows the Loxley valley. Light green indicates Green Belt land. Green diagonal hatching shows proposed Local Wildlife Sites. Grey indicates residential zones. The brown line is the national park boundary. Please see the map on the council’s online portal if you need more detail.
Friends of the Valley members have this week held a second footpath trimming session to help keep the main valley bottom footpath clear of overgrowing vegetation.
We pruned and trimmed the ‘tapping rail’ between Olive Mill and Rowell Bridge and lightly pruned a bit of tree growth that was dropping below head height.
We also cleared a few bits of dog muck that were on the path near Rowell Bridge, (come on folks, there’s a pooh bin there!).
It was the second time we’ve worked on this stretch of path, following our first session last month, (see earlier news post here).
We finished work on the path a bit earlier than we expected, so we then nipped across the river to clear some badly overgrown duckboards on the parallel footpath.
FoLV would like to thank all the members who’ve volunteered to take part in the work sessions. Our voluntary work helps the council’s hard-pressed public rights of way team to concentrate on urgent repairs from a very limited budget.
Work sessions are open to all Friends of the Loxley Valley members. Membership is open to all. See the ‘Get Involved’ page on this website for more information.
This duckboard bridge is on the footpath on the south side of the river. It was disappearing under shrubbery and grass, so we tidied it up.
Friends of the Loxley Valley members working to clear the overgrown duckboards
Job done! We’ve cleared the duckboards of overgrowth. Walkers can see the way ahead and get across without stumbling or tripping.
