Dore to Door internet edition

News & Comment - Autumn 2000

Society Membership

Ryecroft Farm development

Regular users of Dore Road, and its residents, can hardly fail to have noticed over recent weeks the steady steam of heavy lorries dragging up the incline and the muddy smears they have left after rain. And still they come.

You could be forgiven for thinking Dore had acquired its own industrial dump site, especially given the noise of bulldozers drifting to those walking in Ecclesall Woods. In fact the lorries are carrying spoil to be tipped to a height of 3 metres over parts of Ryecroft Farm, as part of the construction of a riding circle.

Planning permission was granted earlier this year for the construction, but it seems unlikely that anyone converted the volume of spoil to be tipped into lorry movements, or took the impact on the community of traffic and noise into account in the planning decision process.

Questions have been asked of local councillors over the Councils policy on tipping on its land; the controls exercised over the origins and nature of material tipped; and given the drainage of the site into Limb Brook, what consultation has taken place with environmental bodies over possible pollution/impact on the local ecology. There is also concern over the possible subsequent development of a commercial livery business based on the farm and the likely impact of its horses on Ecclesall Woods - see elsewhere in this issue.

Sheffield Round Walk

July 2nd saw the launch of revisions to Sheffields 'Round Walk' adding another 4 mile section to bring the walker in a full circle, back to the starting point in Endcliffe Park. The new section runs from the old finish in Graves Park via the Gleadless Valley Woodland Park, Meersbrook Park, Brincliffe Edge Wood, Chelsea Park and back to Hunter's Bar.

Locally the walk runs from Whirlow Park, down through the Limb Lane playing fields into Ecclesall Woods. It then runs down parallel to Limb Brook before being re-aligned behind houses on Dore Road to come out on Abbeydale Road South next to The Glen nursing home.

The original walk, which evolved between 1937 and 1947, has proved extremely popular, especially over recent years, as more people have taken up walking for leisure. The route has been re-signed in a clockwise direction, costs precluded these being done both ways. Much needed repairs to paths on parts of the route will be undertaken over the next few years.
A new booklet on the walk, The Sheffield Round Walk: a fourteen mile walk through picturesque south-west Sheffield, is published by Sheffield City Council, price £ 2.50. It is available from Destination Sheffield or Sheffield Scene. More details from 250 0500.

Have you noticed

Sadly the setting of Abbeydale Hall is now scheduled to go for ever, with the construction of three blocks of flats in the grounds, while the hall itself is converted into apartments. It is worth remembering that the building was originally purchased by Norton District Council for public use, and served the area for social activities and education courses for many years. Then, without public consultation, it was transferred to Sheffield College, who simply viewed it as an asset for neglect and disposal.
Despite public protest the hall was offered for sale, initially with a view to becoming a pub/restaurant and now a building site. The same process saw the sports field on the corner of Hathersage Road and Cross Lane transferred to the college and sold to a Rotherham based developer, only to be left as a vandal playground.

To me there seems something fundamentally wrong with our society, when public assets can be lost to the community in this way. They belonged to us as rate payers, yet we were never consulted on their transfer to the education estate, then to the college, or on their possible future use.

Readers will know how much I love complaining about traffic. Why do local people speed in their own back yard, don't they have children themselves? Why park on pavements, they were meant for pedestrians. We even have one local lady who drives up onto the pavement on Dore Road to post her letters.

Recently we have had a new hazard with heavy lorries toiling up Dore Road full and then empty through the top of the village. Amazingly the council has given permission for massive tipping on Ryecroft Farm in association with the farms apparent move towards keeping horses instead of cows. No doubt it isn't easy making a living as a farmer nowadays, but was all this tipping really necessary? Better than houses I guess!

Doremouse

Problems in Ecclesall Woods

Everyone agrees how lucky we are to have the amenity that is Ecclesall Woods. It is in fact, regarded by Sheffield as its 'jewel in the crown'. What a shame it is therefore that there are still people, particularly certain horse-riders, who are continuing to abuse the rules relating to the use of bridle-paths, and the woods in general. As a member of the 'Friends of Ecclesall Woods' (FEW) organisation, I am of course very unhappy about the damage that is being done by these irresponsible riders, and the erosion that is being caused to the woodland, and to archeological sites.

Over the past few weeks, some riders have been persistently making jumps over fallen logs, leaving the bridle paths and very badly damaging the ground. (Making jumps is not permitted). Various attempts have been made by individuals and the Rangers to block these jumps, but on every occasion the obstructions have been removed and jumping continued. Then Council notices were put up, pointing out the bridlepath routes, and also polite notices asking riders not to jump because of the ensuing erosion. Within a few days, these notices disappeared! Most of these problems at the moment seem to be in Wood 3, that is the wood on the Dore side of Abbey Lane, and it is noticeable that the same signs displayed in the other two woods are still up.

It is not only horse riders however. There are still cyclists who think they can ride anywhere and often too fast.
The Council is currently seeking public consultation on a future management plan for the woods. It would be sad indeed if the actions of a few horse riders meant that we had to go back to the historic position of banning all horses from the woods.

Lorna Baker

T.O.A.D.S. Update

You may remember that a year ago, T.O.A.D.S. went International when we were asked by the author of our May play, "Return Trip", to take it to Switzerland. It was a fantastic experience, all expenses paid, performing in a beautiful theatre perched halfway up a mountain overlooking Montreux and Lake Geneva. Apparently it was so well received that we have been asked back this July to perform the same play - a "Return Trip" for "Return Trip"!

Our Autumn play is that wonderful classic by Oscar Wilde "The Importance of Being Earnest". Everyone knows the line "A Handbag", but the play is full of equally funny lines that people never remember afterwards.! It will he performed at St. John's Church Hall, Abbeydale Road South, Wednesday to Saturday, November 22nd to 25th at 7.30 p.m. Tickets are £2.50 and £2 concessions from me, Kate Reynolds, nearer the time on 236 6891.

Mary Kitchin retires

Mrs Mary Kitchin will be well known to anyone who has been fortunate enough to have had children at Dore Infant School over the past 17 years. She is retiring as head teacher this August, when Ian Wileman will become head of the new Dore Primary School, following the amalgamation of the two schools.

Mary has worked tirelessly, often under extreme pressures (particularly under hard financial constraints), to do her absolute best for the children under her care. She is a credit to her profession and has been an invaluable asset to the community of Dore. She will be sadly missed by staff, governors, parents and especially the children.
One of children recently turned up to school having had a long chat at home about Mrs Kitchin retiring. She was very concerned that pensioners were very poor, so she had taped 40p pocket money to a card to make sure Mrs Kitchin would be alright!

In fact over £500 was raised from parents and children as some small measure of the high regard in which Mary is held. Her living legacy to our village is all the children who have had a fine start to their education under her guidance.
We wish her a long and happy retirement.

Paula Smith, parent governor

South West Area Panel

The Council's Area Initiative was launched with the aim of involving communities more directly in the work of local government, to gain a better understanding of the needs of individual communities and to achieve better co-operation and co-ordination between service providers. Regular public meetings are a key element of this process and over 100 residents attended the meeting at the Church Hall on 19 July.

At the meeting Nick Selwood, Asst Trees & Woodland Officer at Leisure Services, outlined work on a five year plan for Ecclesall Woods which will shortly be published for consultation and followed up by public meetings specifically to discuss it. Dr Jonathan Roddick Chair of the SW Primary Care Group, one of 4 in Sheffield, explained proposals to move to trust status and sought feedback from local people into local health care issues. An update on other local issues was also provided.
A second meeting on the 26 July was held to discuss proposed traffic regulation orders in the centre of the village. Peter Ball from the Highways Dept outlined the proposal and comments from the subsequent healthy discussion which took place, will be taken into account in finalising proposals. A commitment was made to future consultation and a holistic approach to traffic and transport issues in Dore. Good news was the announced inclusion of pedestrian safety work on Causeway Head Road in this years budget. Not so good news was rejection by police and traffic engineers of the need for parking restrictions on one side at the bottom of Dore Road. Councillors were pressed tp pursue this but individual letters of concern to the Highways section can do no harm!

The next public meeting of the panel will be at 7.30pm on 27 September in St Luke's Church, Blackbrook Road, Lodge Moor.

A grouse

Japanese Knotweed seems to be springing up all over, though the Council have chopped some of it down, on Parker's Lane. Not half as pretty as the Himalayan Balsam which everyone seems bent on destroying.

What has happened to the cuckoo population in this area? Last year I had to travel to Hampshire before I heard one, and this year I have only heard one once. I know they are rogues, but I love to hear them.

There has been another problem with the sewage in the recreation ground in recent months. Unmentionables under the trees!! Shouldn't this problem have been sorted out before encouraging children to play in there. It seems to occur on a regular basis.
I agree with Richard Farnsworth about the herons. They are another pleasure to see, though it's a bit disturbing when you find just the legs and beak in the undergrowth. I expect we shall see less of them now, as they seem to be suffering from birth defects and some say brittle bone disease.

Does anyone have a photograph of the cottage (single storey) at the top of Drury Lane. The lady who lives there would be interested to see it.

Can I say thank you to Syd and Jeff for organising the planters round the village. They have not come cheap so I hope that people put their hands in their pockets to help cover the cost. Also that the vandals leave them alone.

Jean Dean

Planning

Abbeydale Hall. Against the recommendations of its own planning officials, the council has passed proposals for the construction of six apartment blocks in the grounds, while the hall itself is converted into eight apartments. The Sheffield Conservation Advisory Group maintained their opposition on the basis that the scale of the development was inappropriate. At the planning meeting local councillor Keith Hill was refused permission to speak by the chair on the grounds that he was not a member of the committee.

There remains widespread concern about the modern design and materials proposed for the new buildings, and their presenting a detrimental effect on the setting of the hall. It is impossible to say whether scare mongering over the possible negative impact of a pub on the site effected the opinions of local residents and planning committee members.
Interestingly a spokesman for the applicants, PTA Developments, claimed that the planning department was out of touch with the demands of a big city like Sheffield and that the situation was anti-developers. Not exactly how we see things. It remains to be seen now whether, as is all too often the case, the site is sold on with its planning permission

• 105 Dore Road. Modified plans for three dwellings on the site have been passed.
• Newfield Lane. Proposals for two new large detached houses to the rear of 65-69 Newfield Lane have been passed.
  
• Brinkburn Vale Road/Devonshire Road. A revised application for two dwellings has been passed but an earlier more significant application has gone to appeal.
  
• Nab Farm. The final design for a dwelling to the rear of the site, where the cart shed once stood, was passed after further modification, but still occupying a greater footprint.
  
• Parkers Lane/Causeway Head Road. The latest of a long running series of applications to build in back gardens overlooking
• Parkers Lane and the Green Belt came before the planning meeting on 24 July. It was decided, given the sensitivity of the position, to make a site visit before reaching a decision.

Dore recreation ground

Unfortunately part of the playground area was damaged by fairground equipment brought in for the Gala in July. No doubt it will take some time to haggle over who pays for the repairs. Meanwhile the fencing is expected to go out for direct tender and replacement swings for one set are on order.

Still nobody else has volunteered to join the playground action group which looks like being wound up without finishing the hoped for wider restoration of the rec.

Flowers in the village

As this edition of Dore to Door goes to press we would like to thank the following for helping to sponsor the tubs of flowers around the Village this summer to celebrate the New Millennium. They were organised by Dore scouts but supplied and maintained by Sheffield Parks Department. We hope you have enjoyed them.

Dore Scout Gala Committee; Irwin Mitchell; Eadon, Lockwood and Riddle; Country Garden; Kutz hairdressers; Dore Opticians; Dore Male Voice Choir; Dore Parish Church; Dore Methodist Church; Dore Village Society; Dore Scouts; Dore Guide Companies.
Geoff Cope 267th Sheffield (Dore) Group Scout Leader
Lyme Park Cheshire

South Yorkshire residents can enjoy wider leisure horizons this summer thanks to a new bus service from the Hope Valley line to historic Lyme Park in Cheshire. Running as the 362 service from New Mills Central station to Lyme Park every Sundays until 24th September it has been specially designed to tie in with Hope Valley trains.

Lyme Park

Lyme Park was the ancestral home of the Legh family for 600 years and is now owned by the National Trust. The property found fame when it starred as 'Pemberley' in the BBC's epic production of 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen.
Visitors who travel to Lyme Park using the Hope Valley rail service and 362 bus can gain one FREE entry to Lyme Hall upon presentation of their rail or Wayfarer ticket. This is the National Trust's 'green reward' for people who travel to their properties in an environmentally friendly way.

Lyme Park is just one of the attractions that day trippers can reach using the Hope Valley Line. The 260 weekend shuttle bus from Edale Station to Castleton is FREE to rail and Wayfarer ticket holders and gives access to Mam Tor, Winnats Pass, the Castleton Caverns and Castleton village.

Details of both these services, plus local events, Folk Trains, guided walks, tourist information and the Hope Valley rail timetable are available in the FREE Hope Valley Leisure Guide, available by calling the Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership on (01663) 746 377.