The Scholes Village Association is pleased to provide details of the Scholes and Thorpe Action Group on its website. Please note that content within this page is the responsibility of the Scholes and Thorpe Action Group and not the Scholes Village Association.

last updated - 29th July

Attention!

Do you want to:

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Prevent Thorpe Hesley being doubled in size?

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Prevent 2,000 houses being built?

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Prevent another 2,000 cars?

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Prevent the community growing by at least 4,000 people?

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Prevent Scholes and Thorpe merging together?

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Continue walking local footpaths?

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Preserve wildlife?

The Scholes and Thorpe Action Group has been established to fight the threat of housing development between Thorpe Hesley and Scholes. For more details, see below.

Support STAG NOW by:

1.

Supporting our fund raising events

2.

Donating money to fight for your community

3.

Coming to the general meetings to discuss progress

4.

Volunteering to help, in any way, particularly with leafleting

Latest News – July 2006

Disposal of existing planning permissions by RMBC

In April, STAG met the Head of Planning for Rotherham Council, Karl Battersby. Karl advised us that the Council had sought legal counsel and now considered the outline planning permissions that were still outstanding from the 1970’s as being “finally disposed of”. This could have been challenged by Fitzwilliam Estates within 12 weeks but appears not to have been. Fitzwilliam Estates could still develop housing on the land between Thorpe Hesley and Scholes but they would have to begin from scratch with an application for outline planning permission and then an application for detailed planning permission. These applications would be assessed in the context of current day policies and planning guidelines. Rotherham Council advised Fitzwilliam Estates to look at other sites.

As there are now no planning applications in existence for the land, it can be included in Rotherham Council’s moratorium on building on green field sites. This is excellent news, but we cannot relax. This protection can be withdrawn at any time.

Petition for the Land to be classified as Green Belt

The highest protection that can be given to a piece of land is for it to be classified as Green Belt. On Tuesday 2 May, STAG presented Rotherham Council with a multi-name petition asking for the land to be re-classified as Green Belt. Thank you to all those people who signed the petition. The covering letter formally requested that the Green Belt boundary be changed so that the whole of the fields between Thorpe and Scholes were included in the Green Belt. The letter provided sound planning reasons as to why this should be done. The request will be considered as part of the development of the Local Development Framework (a replacement for the existing Unitary Development Plan) that guides planners when making planning decisions. STAG’s letter quoted the following reasons for changing the Green Belt Boundary:

1. The present green belt boundaries do not comply with Government guidance on Green Belts as set out in PPG4. The changed boundary will comply with PPG4.

2. To develop the land currently allocated Housing in the UDP would effectively fill in the space between the three settlements of Thorpe Hesley, Scholes and Thorpe Common, which have a definite historical separation. The proposed boundary will keep these settlements separate.

3. The current boundaries should follow sustainable boundaries on the ground, but they do not. Particularly difficult to justify is the current boundary next to Scholes village, which arbitrarily passes down the middle of a field. The proposed boundaries are sustainable boundaries.

4. The land currently allocated Housing comes right up to the boundary of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which is Wentworth Park. It is usual to have a substantial Green Belt Barrier between AONBs and any settlement or urban area. The proposed boundary provides a separation between the AONB.

5. In the UDP, the land currently allocated Housing is at a higher level and detached from Thorpe Hesley village. It is totally apart from what has been the almost natural development of Thorpe Hesley along the side of a valley. It does not respect the ( views out) from Keppel, Scholes Village, Thorpe Hesley or the AONB and housing (in an elevated position) will be a significant "blot on the landscape" when viewed from those areas. The Proposed boundary respects all of these (views).

6. In the UDP, the land currently allocated Housing is separated from the existing Thorpe Hesley village curtilage, in theory, by open space. In reality whilst this is shown on the UDP as Open Space, or Urban Green Space, whatever that may mean in a rural area, the proposal for this land, as we understand, contains a spine road. Planning Policy Guidance Note 3, Housing, recommends that open space or other land is not used for enabling development in connection with housing.

7. Since the UDP was prepared and the Secretary of State made a decision on the appeal in 2001, much has changed. The shops and school are no longer part of a proposal and this and these areas of land are likely to be considered as Housing in the future. PPG3 densities have become the norm. 1200 houses were originally proposed for this site. Densities are therefore likely to rise to around 2000 on a larger site. This is clearly too many houses for an area without facilities and the traffic impacts have not properly been assessed. The figures put forward by Bryant Homes Ltd and the Council at the Inquiry are now completely out of date. The site would become the largest Greenfield housing development in the region and clearly its development is contrary to Government guidance. The proposed boundary protects green fields from development and conforms to Government guidelines.

8. Information has come to us recently about the Archaeological Survey which Bryant Homes commissioned with their application in 1999. The recommendations of West Yorkshire Archaeology Service for further survey work and assessment were ignored by Bryant Homes and by the Council. This is despite the assessment that the remains of a Late Pre-Roman Iron Age landscape may be present and some other features probably related to historic mining or settlement. The study also suggested the bell pits on land adjoining Brook Hill may date from the 12th/13th century. While the remains of such landscapes are not rare, we are not aware of any others nearby, but note the relationship to the Roman Ridge and other historic features on the Sites and Monuments Record. The remains could be more important for all of this. We are concerned that when such an important local feature has been discovered, no more work to assess it has been carried out. The proposed boundary protects this area from development allowing time for it to be assessed.

9. The Regional Spatial Strategy for this area allows changes to the Green Belt. The site is a totally Greenfield one in an area which still has much Brownfield land undeveloped. Land at Waverley and Orgreave and in the Dearne valley presents many opportunities to meet the areas housing needs as well as land in Sheffield and Barnsley. During the Inquiry in 2001 the Council dismissed many Brownfield sites as being unlikely to be developed. Some of these sites, such as land off Tenter Street and at Dalton are now developed, and the Government office has recently decided not to call-in an application in the Dearne Valley which was part of a mixed and therefore sustainable development.

10. Furthermore we consider to have 2000 houses available for development at Thorpe Hesley would prejudice the development of many remaining Brownfield sites, especially Orgreave and Manvers, and the Town Centre, which would need ( a significant) housing element in a mixed use scheme to add value as well as vitality.

Local Development Framework

Consultation for the Local Development Framework will be carried out by the Council this year. The Head of Planning told us that Rotherham will be focussing on the development of Brownfield sites and that there will be no major housing development in the Thorpe Hesley and Scholes area, but maybe some infill developments will be allowed.

We have yet to persuade the Planners to classify the land as Greenbelt. If you get the opportunity, please write to the Council to give your written support to our petition. The address to write to is Mr Karl Battersby, Head of Planning, Rotherham Borough Council, Bailey House, Rawmarsh Road, Rotherham, S60 1TD. Please add your name to the list of recipients of the LDF, as it is progressively developed, by writing to Karl Battersby. The Council will then invite you to comment on the LDF, as it is developed.

Application to Register a Village Green

In June, the Law Lords ruled on a point of law which allows our application to register the land at Brook Hill to proceed to the next stage. The Council has issued a public notice and there is a 12 week period asking for objections. We will be told of all objections and later this year there will be and Inquiry or a Hearing. Our solicitor has been briefed and waiting to take action on our behalf. Hopefully, our application will succeed. Securing this land as a village green will allow locals to carry on using the land for informal recreation and also make it much more difficult for access to be provided to any housing development between Thorpe Hesley and Scholes.

Other Developments

The application to build a service station adjacent to the M1 was to go to Inquiry, but the applicant lost interest.

The development of the farm on Thorpe Street is at the pre-application stage. A planning application has not been submitted in April.

Demonstrations in May

On Monday 1st May, STAG provided a few games and a dog show to entertain local children and a few stalls to boost STAG funds. It was a cold day but there was a reasonable turn-out. Thank you to everyone who helped and everyone who took part. On Tuesday, 2nd May, STAG’s handed in the petition requesting a change to the Greenbelt boundary. Volunteers sang a song composed by a member of STAG and played musical instruments to bring attention to the petition. The words of the song gave insight into the fight to protect the land.

Progress so far

• A petition requesting that the land be reclassified as Greenbelt was presented to the Council on 2nd May. The handing in of the petition was accompanied by volunteers singing the STAG protest song written by a STAG member.

• The land under threat has been included in the Greenfield moratorium by Rotherham Council after the classified the outstanding permissions as “finally disposed of”.

• STAG research has revealed that under current Government guidelines for housing densities, the area of land owned by Fitzwilliam Estates will support 1,000 houses, not 600. Once the spine road has been laid, RMBC is very likely to develop the land that they own and this will support another 1,000 houses. 2,000 houses means at least 4,000 more people and at least 2,000 more cars. Thorpe Hesley will be doubled in size. See Map A below. No improvement to Thorpe Hesley's infrastructure and facilities is planned. This will destroy the community.

• The STAG Public Meeting 18th January 2006 was well attended. The progress report presented that can be seen below. This covered the original petition requesting RMBC not to sell the land referred to as the Village Green, the application to register the Village Green, the peaceful mass access objecting to RMBC's keep off notices and an update on fundraising. STAG also presented its proposals for protecting the fields between Thorpe Hesley and Scholes for the longer term. This will need a change to the greenbelt boundary. For more information, see below.

• A petition to prevent the sale of the Caravan Hills has been sent to RMBC with 1500 signatures. The Council declined to change their decision and agreed to sell the land to Wentworth Estates to facilitate the development.

• Application to register the one footpath in the area under threat has been submitted to RMBC.

• An application to register the Caravan Hills as an official 'Village Green' with 53 witness statements (thanks to those who filled them in) has been sent to RBMC. Currently the law states that the applicants have to show continued free access beyond the application up to the point of registration. This is the reason why RMBC placed signs on the land restricting access. An appeal is currently under consideration in the House of Lords. (Write to Rotherham's Lord Ahmed at the House of Lords). The law currently means that no-one can register a Village Green where there is an objection.

• Peaceful Mass Access Sunday 20th November 2005. Over 200 people joined us on the caravan hills to walk the dog, ride horses, enjoy the sunshine and make it clear that they wished to continue to be able to do what some people on that day have been doing for over 80 years - walk on the land. The press were in attendance and we made the front page of the 'STAR'

• In preparation for another Inquiry we have commissioned various surveys - Bird, Mining, Traffic, Flora and Bat population. Thanks to all who have been and will continue to be involved in gathering those details for us.

• We have done quite a bit of fundraising - a Race Night at the Horse and Tiger, enjoyed by all(£629.59); Collections (£682.42); Book stall at the Church Christmas Fete (£61.20); Village Choir concert (£101.00); Scholes Christmas raffle (£76.00) and Sale of cookery books (£62.00). We have also received donations of £2739.13 including £795.00 from Scholes Village Association. Finally, the Village Band Concert who will be playing at the Church on Sunday the 12th February-please support this event.

All this may sound as if everything is going along smoothly.......... IT ISN'T - WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT.

We have raised £2,500 to enable us to have legal support at the Inquiry to register the Village Green. Much more is needed if we have to challenge another planning application at Inquiry. This will cost in the region of £25,000 - £30,000.

This is a lot of money for a small village to raise - about £20 per household.

Greenbelt Changes

Obviously we can't keep challenging attempts to build on the beautiful fields around the villages, so David Anson outlined a proposal that we hope might safeguard this land for the longer term. The main points of which are:

• The current boundaries of the Green Belt do not follow natural features in the landscape as required by Government guidelines. They are arbitrary.

• The proposed building land is at a higher level than most of Thorpe Hesley and Scholes Village. Any new road or build will dominate the existing settlements and their views, including those from Keppel and Scholes.

• The contested land borders on an area of High Landscape Value. Therefore, a larger area of Green Belt should separate this from Thorpe Hesley.

• The current boundaries of the Green Belt leave Thorpe Hesley, Thorpe Common and Scholes too close together - defeating the main objective of a Green Belt to keep rural settlements separate.

• The area contains pre-Roman historic features which need fully investigating.

• The land is subject to considerable problems resulting from its long history of mining - a fact not addressed by the landowners or RMBC.

Map B shows the repositioned Greenbelt boundary to include the area of indicated by cross-hatching (yellow).

Village Green Registration

We have collected more than 1460 signatures objecting to the sale of the land adjacent to Brook Hill and presented these to Rotherham Council. We have written individually to Rotherham Council, as have many residents, asking why residents were not consulted before they decided to sell off this open space, why the land is to be sold without being advertised, auctioned or put out to tender. All our questions have been ignored by the Council. We have had confirmation that they have considered the letters and petitions and are still going ahead with the sale of the land to Fitzwilliam (Wentworth) Estates.

We have collected over 50 evidence letters and questionnaires demonstrating the use of the land adjacent to Brook Hill by residents, as of right, for more than 30 years. We completed an application to register the land adjacent to Brook Hill as a village green under the Commons Registration Act, 1965. This will prevent the land being built on or being used for the spine road. This was lodged with the Registrar in Rotherham Council on 6th October. Rotherham Council have responded by posting notices that say you need to ask them for permission before using the land adjacent to Brook Hill. This was expected, as Oxford Council prevented the registration of a village green by doing this. This case is being reviewed by the House of Lords in March 2006. We are hoping it will overturn the Oxford decision in favour of the village green applicant, otherwise our case cannot succeed. If the Oxford decision is overturned, our application will be heard at an Inquiry in May 2006. Our legal fees for this Inquiry will be approximately £2,500.

Thanks to everyone who supported the “mass access” demonstration on Sunday, November 20th. About 200 – 300 people showed their displeasure at the Council’s push to sell the land at Brook Hill. This generated much needed publicity in the Yorkshire Post, The Star and on Radio Sheffield.

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Fundraising Events

Currently, we have the following events scheduled. Please come along and enjoy yourself and at the same time help to raise money for the legal fees. The events are:

STAG would like to send a big thank-you to everyone who supported the Race Night on18th November at the Horse and Tiger, which raised approximately £625.

The winning jockeys and owners were:

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How to make a donation

Please send a cheque made payable to Thorpe Hesley Action Group to Wallace Hible, 594 Upper Wortley Road, Thorpe Hesley or hand it to any member of STAG - David Anson, Sue Boyce, Sue Dixon, Rob Greensmith, Sue Hague, Wallace Hible, Ray Saddler, Val Sykes, Alan Turton, Marie Webster or Ian Woodcock.

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About us

On the 18 May 2005, Rotherham Council agreed to sell land adjacent to Brook Hill to Fitzwilliam Estates which will be used to provide an access road to fields belonging to Fitzwilliam Estates between Thorpe Hesley and Scholes. This was agreed without consulting users of this open space - YOU!

A detailed planning application to build 600 houses, by Bryant Homes, is expected shortly. It is felt that the Council will have a conflict of interest when dealing with this application.

Click the map to understand where the houses are likely to be built. Our thanks to Elayne Wears Taylor for creating the map.

The development could effectively join up Thorpe Hesley and Scholes. If so, it will have a significant impact on views from Keppel, Upper Wortley Road, Scholes Lane, Scholes and Thorpe. Residents will be denied countryside access, access to footpaths and wild life flora and fauna will be lost. Important species on this land (Skylark, Great Crested Newts, Pipistrelle Bats, and Badgers) will be lost. These 600 houses could be the “thin end of the wedge” and could lead to further significant development on Council owned land.

Sheffield Council recognizes that countryside in South Yorkshire should be at the bottom of the list for development. Why does Rotherham want to enable building on this open countryside when it has a large number of brown field sites?

At two public meetings on 28 June (Thorpe) and 14 July (Scholes), large numbers of residents indicated that they are against this development.

The Scholes and Thorpe Action Group (STAG) has been formed in response to that feeling. It has a constitution, a committee and bank account. Its initial goal is to prevent the land at Brook Hill being used to provide access for development. Its second goal is to prevent the Planning Application being approved and its third goal is to prevent any Inquiry approving the development.

For details of how you can help, see below.

For more info, please email us via stag@scholesvillage.org or contact any of the committee:

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How you can help

Action is needed NOW to help win this fight:

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When and where we meet

The group meets every 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7.00pm in The Mason’s Arms on Sough Hall Avenue, Thorpe Hesley. All volunteers are welcome.

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Forthcoming events

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Our Constitution

Aims

The function of Scholes and Thorpe Action Group (STAG) is to act as a focal point for the communities of Thorpe Hesley and Scholes through liaison with local authorities and other agencies. The aims of the Group are:

How these will be achieved:

Management

A Management Committee (Committee) will manage the Group. Officers will include Chair, Vice chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Press Officer. Other officers include: Petition Manager, Internet Researcher, Publicity and any other deemed necessary by the committee.

The Committee may co-opt informed and experienced individuals from organisations like Campaign for Rural England or Friends of the Earth onto the Committee, as needed, to support the aims of the Group. These individuals will be provided with a prescribed purpose and aims in support of the Group’s aims by the Committee and report regularly to the Committee.

The Committee will be elected at the start of each campaign focussed to prevent a specific development. At times, the Committee may continue to meet from time to time, as necessary, after a campaign has been completed and the Group’s objections to a planning application have been heard and a decision reached by RMBC or higher authority.

At least 3 Committee members and 2 members must be present for a Committee meeting to take place.

Voting at a Committee meeting shall be by a show of hands. If there is a tie, then the Chair shall have the casting vote.

Committee meetings will be held on an as required basis.

Membership and Voting Rights

Membership of the Group is open to any resident of Scholes, Thorpe Hesley and Hood Hill (as defined by local authority boundaries and as per the electoral roll), which is interested in helping the Group achieve its aims, and willing to abide by the rules of the Group. There is no membership fee.

It is expected that the Group will be most active during the duration of a campaign, but will remain in existence full-time.

Members will be able to ratify Committee decisions by voting at General Meetings, AGMs and EGMs. Every member shall have one vote at these meetings.

General Meetings

At the close of a campaign, the Group will:

Similarly, at the AGM, the Group will:

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) can be called at any time by the Committee or by any group of 5 members to discuss an urgent matter. The secretary shall give all members at least 14 days notice of any EGM together with the written reasons for calling the meeting, the date, time and place of the EGM.

Changes to the Constitution

Any changes to this Constitution must be agreed in writing by at least two – thirds of those members present at any General Meeting.

Correspondence Address

The name and address for all Group correspondence should be that of the Chair.

Duties of Principal Officers

The Chair has overall control - keeps meetings in order; makes sure agendas are followed; has a casting vote.

The Secretary’s principle functions are: to keep records; take minutes of Committee meetings and circulate them to Committee members; keep a record of all members, unless a membership secretary is appointed; organise the proceedings for General Meetings and circulate minutes of the General Meeting to members.

The Treasurer is responsible for the Group’s finances; keeping the financial records; and ensuring the committee is fully aware of the Group’s financial position at all times; arranging for an independent scrutiny of the accounts.

Adoption of the Constitution

This Constitution was adopted by: Scholes and Thorpe Action Group on 20th July 2005.

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Links

Neither the Scholes and Thorpe Action Group or the Scholes Village Association are responsible for the content of external internet sites linked to below.

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