21 September 1998
PLANNING PERMISSION REFUSED FOR HOUSE ON ASHDELL LAWN

City Council has "no alternative but to refuse planning permission".

Sheffield City Council has refused the University of Sheffield's planning application to build a four bedroomed dwellinghouse within the garden of Ashdell:



IMAGE RIGHT: View of Ashdell from terrace
(©1998 Graham Soult)

However, the campaign to save Ashdell is far from over.

The University Department of Estates has indicated that it intends to pursue a scheme for Ashdell, despite this initial application being turned down.

Additionally, the University is getting ready to sell off other parts of its estate, including the Stephenson Hall tennis courts; part of Crewe gardens; and the garden of 8 Oakholme Road (Stephenson Hall Warden's House).
See update: April 1999

If any of these proposals go ahead, it will set a dangerous precedent. Firstly, at a time when the student population in Sheffield is greater than ever before, we should be creating amenity space, not destroying it.

Secondly, we cannot afford to let the Victorian character of Broomhill be destroyed in this way. Broomhill has many beautiful buildings, but the very essence of its quality lies in the juxtaposition of the architecture with its setting. The importance of the trees, hedges, stone walls, gate piers and other streetscape elements cannot be understated; and the existing balance between built areas and greenspace needs to be carefully preserved.

Through the involvement of residents, students, councillors and others with an interest in Broomhill, it is possible to have a say, and to make an impact. Despite modern development pressures, Broomhill has survived remarkably intact; this is a value of which we can and should be proud.

We must send a clear message to the University - Broomhill does not belong to any institution, it belongs to the people who live there. It would indeed be dangerous folly to sacrifice decades of heritage and history in the pursuit of short term and misguided interests.

Graham Soult
30 September 1998

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