Local Sheffield activists have voiced their concerns regarding construction on Sheffield’s greenbelt in a council meeting on 3 December, as Sheffield Council’s proposed ‘Local Plan’ takes a step closer to being actualised.

The Save Chapeltown, Ecclesfield and Grenoside’s Greenbelt Community Campaign has been campaigning for the prevention of the plan that would see 1600 new houses being built on greenbelt land.

The proposed plan would take place in S5, S6 and S35, absorbing villages into the Sheffield urban area.

These communities are threatened by the proposals, which campaign member Cheryl said: “Flew in the face of the lived reality of village communities.”

At the council meeting at Sheffield Town Hall, the activists questioned the actions and responses of Head Councillor Tom Hunt, who has been at the forefront of the council’s plan.

The campaigners pleaded with the council to reconsider the plans, even noting Cllr Hunt acknowledged that with more time he and the council would have done things differently.

Clive Betts MP, of Sheffield South East, called on the council to think again, saying: “It’s not too late to reflect that this is wrong, and that greenbelt development decisions must be made with greater consideration to communities.”

Gill Travis, 63, is the chair of the SCEGGC Campaign and was one of many activists who demanded transparency and honesty from the council regarding the process of choosing the sites.

According to a Freedom of Information request by the campaign, the council chose the time period allocated to hear the concerns of the residents despite citing the lack of time and resources as reasons for struggling to hear their concerns.

In the session, Cllr Hunt repeatedly assured the activists that the council had “followed appropriate procedures” and were “committed to building affordable housing across the city”.

The freedom of information request also revealed the council had hidden 300 new documents from the residents until after the democratic process was complete.

The campaign deemed this a failure to reflect the council’s triple lock commitment to listen to resident’s concerns and act accordingly.

Following the release of these new documents, the consultation has been reopened until 11 December 2025, with residents able to offer feedback on the new information until this date.