News sent out 29 July 2013.  For more news see the news list archives.

Sheffield Local Plan Consultation

The consultation period for the Sheffield Local Plan has been extended to Friday 6 September 2013.  You can view various policies, proposals and evidence on the council’s website at www.sheffield.gov.uk/localplanconsult, and the main documents are also still available to view at libraries and First Points throughout the city.
This is a chance to speak up to request sustainable approaches to city planning in Sheffield, so do respond about what you’d like to see. You might be inspired by a review of the Sheffield Region which demonstrates that cost-effective climate solutions could create over 6000 jobs and add £300 million per year to Sheffield City regional economy.

You can also contact susannah@transitionsheffield.org.uk if you’d like to suggest responses via Transition Sheffield.

Carbon Conversations

Interested in coming to a discussion group in the autumn looking at ways to reduce our carbon emissions?
Starting from September, Nick Nuttgens will be running some ‘Carbon Conversations’ groups. This is an informal and friendly series of 6 meetings (3 weeks apart) that looks at various topics e.g. energy in the home, travel and transport, consumption and waste.
The group provides a chance to to connect with other people in the process of discussing information and issues in a non-judgemental way.
See http://www.transitionsheffield.org.uk/node/127 for more information.

Reclaim the Power camp 16th-21st August

We are facing a climate crisis, economic crisis and social crisis.  We want a clean and fair future where people come before profit.

Come to share your ideas. Create, imagine, resist. Join us to Reclaim the Power!
West Burton Gas fired power Station, Nr Retford, Notts.
http://www.nodashforgas.org.uk/

NB. To give you a local context for the camp: fracking could soon take place in South Yorkshire and the Peak District National Park, with support from tax breaks. This is a short term, highly polluting national energy strategy, and the camp is one way to voice opposition.

Permaculture Design Course

Permaculture is an ecological design process used worldwide to transform homes, gardens, communities, businesses both in cities and the countryside.  It’s about living lightly on the planet and working with nature to create sustainable habitats for generations to come. Permaculture is both inspiring and empowering, enabling you to create solutions to local and global problems and enhancing your quality of life through using local resources and your own skills and talents.

This full 72 hour certificated course takes place over 6 alternate weekends split between two venues:
Burngreave Cemetery Chapel, Sheffield:  14/15th, 28/29th Sept, 12/13th Oct,
Greave House Farm, Stocksbridge:  26/27th Oct, 9/10th, 23/24th Nov
Overnight accommodation available at Greave House Farm

Tutors:  Saleema Imam and Barbara Bristow, plus guest speakers and visits to see permaculture in action. Cost: £150  (Various payment options). For more information or to book a place, email Barbara at greavehouse@yahoo.co.uk or phone 07724505911

One of the things that Transition Sheffield does is to engage with Sheffield City Council about sustainability issues.  Here’s one example.

At the Transition Cafe in July 2012, Jack Scott, SCC Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Streetscene, presented info about  the ‘Streets Ahead‘,project, which aims to ‘improve the city’s roads, pavements and streetscene’. This is essentially Sheffield’s highways maintenance contract, and had just been awarded to Amey.  People at the event raised a number of questions, and although Jack responded to questions, participants still had concerns about the impact of the highways maintenance contract.  For example, it seemed likely that a large number of Sheffield’s fantastic mature street trees might be felled in the immediate months, and the majority of those present hadn’t even heard of the project.

Following on from the Cafe event, a list of questions and observations were sent to Jack Scott.  Here’s a summary:

Why was the contract had been awarded to a multinational company, when this could be an opportunity to rebuild the local economy?  Is anyone checking to ensure that the environmental footprint of the scheme is as low as possible e.g. aiming to reduce energy use and reuse paving materials and timber?

What about local impacts of the scheme – how will the scheme affect flooding in the future, by changing water uptake at times of peak rainfall / snow melt? Will there be public consultation about positioning of lights, as these impact on both people and wildlife? And what about the Impact of tree replacement on nesting birds?

Finally there was a set of questions about biodiversity – How will tree replacement decisions will be made? Which tree species will be used and why?, Are contractors such as Amey aware of the campaign to ban neonicotinoid pesticides to protect bee populations?  And has the Council’s Ecology Unit involved been involved the project?

The outcome was a meeting between Steve Robinson, the officer managing the contract for the council, Graeme Symonds, Network Director for Amey, and Rick Watson, Saleema Imam and Christine Steers from Transition Sheffield and Friends of Burngreave Cemetery.

See the attached doc for notes from the meeting and answers to the questions raised.  We think that the Council and Amey have taken these issues more seriously as a result of the meeting, but we still want to flag up the project to everyone else in Sheffield.  You can check the project timetable/map to see when the Streets Ahead project is due to be implemented in your area.