Campaigners who are lobbying against the proposed developments on the S35 greenbelt site protested outside Sheffield Town Hall this week.

The Chapeltown, Grenoside and Ecclesfield Save Our Greenbelt Action Group chanted and held banners opposing Sheffield City Council’s greenbelt development plans, which include building ‘1,600 homes’.

Chair of the campaign group, Gill Travis, 63, told Sheffield Wire the main points of contention are that around 50% of the council’s greenbelt development plans are in S35.

She also explained that more than 70 “major” documents were released without adequate time to respond.

Speaking at the protest on Wednesday, Ms Travis said: “We are asking the council to follow their own principles.

“There’s something called triple-lock, which is all about listening to the people. We’re asking them to look at that, and also to look at the Lowcock Report.”

The Lowcock Report, also known as the Street Trees Inquiry, looked at failures in Sheffield City Council’s conduct and made recommendations for improvement, including a focus on communication between the council and residents.

The council’s triple lock combines three policy drivers – people, prosperity, and planet – which it says the city and its people “cannot thrive without”. Ms Travis claims the council are failing to do this in their refusal to listen to S35’s objections.

Listen to Chapeltown, Grenoside and Ecclesfield Save Our Greenbelt Action Group chant outside Sheffield Town Hall below

The S35 group liaises closely with S13’s Sapphire McCarthy Campaign, which has been protesting development on two South East Sheffield greenbelt sites since May.

“Once that heritage is gone, once that history is gone, once the animals are gone, once that land is gone — particularly because some of it is agricultural — we won’t ever get it back,” said Ms Travis.

The council stated in May this year that developing the S35 greenbelt site has been deemed necessary under “exceptional circumstances” due to a lack of alternative options. Campaigners have disputed this, saying there are plenty of brownfield sites available.

Once that heritage is gone, once that history is gone, once the animals are gone, once that land is gone — particularly because some of it is agricultural — we won’t ever get it back

Ms Travis commended Clive Betts MP’s “brilliant” efforts to stand up for the S13 community and said that S35 residents “don’t really feel they’ve been very supported” by their own MP, Dr Marie Tidball, who allegedly expressed sympathy with the community but did not follow this up with further support.

“One of the biggest concerns for us [S35] and S13 is that it’s very unfair,” said Ms Travis. “It feels like they’ve particularly gone with working class demographics on the basis that we might be a bigger pushover than the likes of Fulwood, Dore or Totley.”

This is a sentiment that has since been confirmed to Sheffield Wire by Mr Betts himself.

Michelle Sherriff, 64, who has lived in the S35 area all of her life, was at the protest on Wednesday.

She echoed Ms Travis’ concerns that north Sheffield’s greenbelt is being picked on because of its historically working-class demographic.

It feels like they’ve particularly gone with working class demographics on the basis that we might be a bigger pushover than the likes of Fulwood, Dore or Totley

Ms Sherriff also condemned Sheffield City Council’s Green Party coalition for failing to stand up for S35’s greenbelt, calling their conduct “diabolical”.

“How could you possibly trust the Green Party [now]?” she said.