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Secret Garden Inquiry
Planning Inspector DISMISSES Miller
Homes appeal against the refusal of planning permision for
building houses and flats on the Secret Garden
A welcome surprise
today in the form of an early decision by the Planning Inspector to
DISMISS the appeal by Miller Homes and the University against the
refusal of planning permission for the housing development on the
Tapton Hall and Experimental Gardens site. We thought that we might
have to wait another four weeks for a result.
Basically,
the inspector agreed that the development along the frontage
Taptonville Road would damage the character of the road and degrade
important views from Taptonville Road and Taptonville Crescent. He did
not have any major objections to the development scheme for the
northern part of the site but has opted to dismiss the entire scheme.
We are not sure
where this decision will leave the development scheme, especially as
there is still a 'live' planning application, which presumably could
still be pursued subject to suitable modifications to take the
Inspector's judgement on board. This would involve considerable
revision of the proposals for the southern part of the site, which may
alter the economics of the development.
As part of the work done in preparation for the inquiry the Council is now actively considering Joan Sewell's recommendation
that the gardens of Tapton Elms, Pisgah House and Taptonville Crescent
be added to Sheffield's local schedule of historic parks and gardens. Also,
Sheffield City Council has also now
issued a Tree Preservation Order for the whole site. While neither of
these things will prevent development going ahead, they should have an impact on any revisions
to the planning
application.
Meanwhile BANG has
also suggested to our Councillor, Paul Scriven, that the Tapton Hall
site should be considered as a potential site for the relocation of St
Luke's Hospice, with the restored historic gardens providing a fitting
setting for the hospice as well as much-needed open space for
Broomhill. If you have any opinions on this issue please come along to
BANG's meetings (see events on the home page) or get in touch by email.
For a full report on the public inquiry, that allows you to download and read BANG's case and evidence, follow this link.
New to the area and wondering what all this is about? Follow
the link to our campaign page to catch up.
Excel Car Parking Services accused of 'sharp practice'
There has been a
flurry of letters in the Sheffield Telegraph from people who have been
sent letters demanding payment of fines for illegal parking in the
Broomhill shoppers' car park,which is on the roof of the shopping
centre (Somerfield etc). The car park operates with a number-plate
recognition camera that records when cars enter and leave, and compares
the car registration with the data entered into the ticket machine. If
the user mis-keys their registration, or fails to pay for the time
taken to manoeuvre as well as to park, the company issues a fixed
penalty notice. Even where customers can prove that they did in fact
pay to park, the company imposes a £10 'administration fee' for
having wrongly issued a penalty notice.
Not only are car
park users angry and upset, but the shop keepers are too, as many
people are under the mistaken impression that the car park is owned by
the shop keepers and they often find themselves dealing with the
distress that Excel is causing. And there is knock-on impact on
trade. Somerfield has now started to reimburse the 60p Excel parking
charge to its customers (although it seems not many people know about
this)
One of the Excel
victims has contacted BANG to say that a fight-back campaign is
underway and some people have refused to pay the fines and charges in
the expectation that if Excel takes them to court, they will
almost certainly lose. In fact they have just lost a court case in Mansfield which has
significant implications for Excel and other private parking companies. See http://www.chad.co.uk/news/Judge-says-Excel-parking-fines.3903396.jp
There is a useful summary of the relevant
issues at http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences/
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