The plans to develop 67 apartments in five new blocks of flats on the vacant former Gospel Meeting Hall Site on Carter Knowle Road are facing fierce opposition from local residents and councillors alike. 

An e-petition has been launched to Sheffield City Council by Gemma Prince, objecting to the plans of Sheffield-based firm PTA Developments to construct the new apartment blocks.

The petition, which has been open since 12th December 2023 and runs until 30th April 2024, has so far been signed by 108 people. 

Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed said: “I have formally objected to this planning application.”

The main objections to the plans are the overdevelopment of the Gospel Meeting Hall site, which has laid vacant since March 2020, with the number of dwellings planned exceeding the recommended number of 14 in the Sheffield Draft local plan, and the lack of affordable housing proposed by the plans, despite Sheffield’s urgent need.

PTA Developments deny this objection, and state that ‘an apartment scheme which provides new housing should be supported’, citing that the UK is amidst a well-documented housing crisis. 

Further objections on the petition include the incompatibility of the apartment blocks with surrounding housing, fears of an increase in crime and general nuisance, and an increase in traffic as a result of the developments, which come only a few years after Mercia School was opened on Carter Knowle Road. 

Nick Glendall, a resident on Carter Knowle Road, has signed the e-petition and said: “If you come here at 8 in the morning the traffic really queues all the way down the road, it takes the best part of an hour to go down. It’s just going to add to that.”

There are also a number of environmental concerns cited by the petition, including: increased air pollution, impact on local wildlife, lighting, and flooding risk, as ‘the existing sewerage and drainage in the area already seems to struggle to cope with the surface water and underground springs’.

However, PTA Developments have said: ‘The proposals represent redevelopment that will make a substantial contribution towards achieving greater environmental sustainability in the city’.

The final objection cited by the petition regards the lack of community consultation involved in the planning of the project.

The petition is available on the council website and can be accessed here.