There is considerable opposition to the development of four new homes in Fulwood, which was approved by Sheffield City Council last week.

The proposal to construct four new detached, four bedroom homes on Brooklands Avenue, with an existing bungalow on the site to be demolished, was passed more than two years after first being brought to the Planning and Highways Committee.

However, residents on Brooklands Avenue have voiced their opposition to the development, citing concerns over privacy and safety. 

Councillor Sue Alston said: “Residents will feel overlooked and their privacy will be affected.

“It’ll create a very narrow, long road, with large, three-storey properties that are imposing buildings that are oppressive to residents.”

Another concern raised by local residents included the safety of the 3.8 to 4.1 metre driveway access, which some residents feel is too narrow, and will force cars to back out onto the road should two cars be passing in the driveway.

Furthermore, there is the safety concern of a blind spot to drivers as they leave the driveway, in which they may be unable to see pedestrians and cyclists crossing past and vice versa. 

Councillor Cliff Woodcraft said: “What we’re concerned about is the style of housing and number of residents per hectare that there will be.”

This was the third planning application for the site submitted, with the previous two having been rejected by the Planning and Highways Committee on the advice of the Inspecting Officer. 

However, the Planning and Highways Committee approved the application by 4 votes to 3, with Joint Chair Councillor Alan Woodcock using his deciding vote in favour of the development, feeling that enough changes had been made from the previous two attempts to warrant the application’s approval.

There were several conditions added to the proposal by the committee, including the need for the driveway surface to be permeable – which the proposed tarmac surface is not – and for the installation of swift bricks to counteract the loss of biodiversity through the development of what is largely green space. 

On the added conditions, Councillor Alston said: “We need to watch to make sure these are upheld.”