Planning Matters

Those Masts Again! Telecommunications masts feature regularly these days as planning issues. The proliferation of these masts, particularly the mobile ‘phone masts is causing real concern in some quarters. Even the Peak National Park is wrestling with the problem. Whereas the door was firmly closed to such developments, the necessity for police communication masts to give them 100% emergency cover, has broken down the resistance with a chain of such masts for the purpose.

An application by Vodaphone to build a 30 foot high mast at Hagg Dyke above Ladybower Reservoir was turned down, but has now been overturned on appeal. These sort of decisions could open the flood gates, particularly as companies refuse too share masts. An appeal against refusal for a second mast a little further up the Snake Pass has gone for a second appeal and a decision is expected at anytime. No doubt there will be more applications in the coming months.

On similar lines, Network Rail have a programme for erecting their own telecommunications masts. I understand these can be up to 30 metres (98 feet) high and will be significantly more intrusive than mobile ‘phone masts. Tragically these masts are exempt from planning controls under section 11 and 17 of the town and country planning (General Permitted Development) order 1995 and there is thus, no local democratic control over either the siting or design of this equipment. The CPRE are actively urging action to change the planning law on these matters.

Dore does not escape these development proposals. Within the past few weeks Network Rail have indicated that they propose to erect one of these telecommunications masts on land off Twentywell Lane, close to Abbeydale Road South. There is no opportunity for the public to have any say about this proposal either in respect of siting or appearance.

On the same issue, it will not surprise you to know that there is yet another planning application for a mobile ‘phone mast at Abbeydale Sports Club, this time by Vodaphone for an 18 metre (60 foot) mast by the bowling club.

Totley Bridge Service Station. Planning consent has now been granted for 10 flats in a three storey block on the site of the Totley Bridge Service Station on Abbeydale Road South. This is a reduced and modified proposal, compared to the first application reported in the last issue of Dore To Door.

2 Glen Head Cottage. An application has been made for an extension to 2 Glen Head Cottage at Limb Lane. This is the third of the three cottages in the dip by the Picnic area. The proposal for this semi detached property is to both enlarge it at each floor level and to provide a full three storeys in height, together with a detached double garage. The property is in a vulnerable area of the Green Belt and it is the DVS view that the proposals are excessive, out of scale and would severely dwarf the attached property. An objection to the proposal has been made.

Green Belt Land Sales. Concern has been expressed that in some areas, particularly in the South East, agricultural land is being marketed in small plots in the Green Belt, as having potential for development. The CPRE are campaigning against such actions particularly where the sales are accompanied by fencing or stakes. Such fencing is generally viewed as permitted development under the planning acts. However the Planning Authority can impose an Article 4 Direction removing the permitted development rights in respect of such apportionment of land. So far it has not been a problem in Dore’s Green Belt, but to protect the Green Belt against such sales needs vigilance.

David Heslop

Flower Tubs in Dore

The Village was once again decorated with flower tubs throughout the summer months. The flowers are supplied and managed by the City Council Horticultural Department, with the money to pay for these services raised by donations from individuals, local shops, businesses, churches, & associations within Dore. If you can make a donation or would like to help in the fundraising please contact John Giles on 236 1009.

Beauchief Gardens

A small piece of Beauchief Gardens is actually in Beauchief.

The plaque in the wall near to Abbeydale Road reads "This garden and the adjoining sheet of water were presented to the city of Sheffield by the J.G.Graves Charitable Trust April 1935".

This is just one of the many ‘gifts’ given to the City of Sheffield, by the founder of this early mail order company, and which included Graves Art Gallery, Graves Park, the Round Walk etc. This particular gift was awarded at the time of the annexation of Dore, Totley and Norton from Derbyshire to Sheffield.

Close by the plaque a small stream runs between the flowerbeds; this is the head goit or feeder of water into the dam at Abbeydale Works. On the railway side of the park is the River Sheaf which had its level raised to feed the goit, as shown on the plan. It would appear that the bed of the River Sheaf was straightened (possibly for the railway line) and the dotted line shows that the parliamentary borough and ward boundary looks as though it is faithful to the old route.

If you look over the wall between nos. 283 and 285 you will see the final section of the River Limb emerging from under the road before it joins the Sheaf. The Limb, of course, was the boundary between Derbyshire and Yorkshire. It was also the boundary between the religious provinces of York and Canterbury.

Brian Edwards

Ed. The forthcoming revision of local ward boundaries will follow the railway line at this point, loosing us another snippet of history. Oddly Beauchief Gardens and Abbeydale Hamlet will be in Ecclesall, on a narrow strip of land between Ecclesall Wood 3 (Dore & Totley) and Beauchief Golf Course (Beauchief & Greenhill). In the meantime Beauchief Gardens remain sadly neglected by our Council. Would anyone be interested in forming a friends group to restore it? After all, it is nearer to Dore than anywhere else.

The Wildlife Garden

The squirrels in my garden are racing around burying the peanuts they have just prized out of my ‘squirrel-proof’ nut holder; the swifts and martins have long since gone and my garden robin and blackbirds have all returned after months of skulking in the undergrowth, resplendent in their new feathers. It can only mean one thing, winter is on its way. With the approach of winter comes one of the most hated of all gardening tasks, clearing up fallen leaves. It always seems that no sooner have you removed one pile of leaves, the moment you turn your back, yet more are blown back into the exact same spot. However, to my way of thinking, all these leaves are a free bonus rather than a problem.

There is nothing better than leaf mould for the garden, but it takes a long time for the leaves to break down. The traditional method is to put a mixture of leaves - preferably dry ones, into a wire enclosure and forget about them. After around 5 years, the fungal hyphae have done their magic and the rotted leaves will have changed into a fine crumbly compost.

Nowadays accelerators are available to speed up this process, which means that the leaves are broken down and ready to use after just one year. Another method is to pack them into black plastic bin liners, but this time they need to be slightly moist or alternately, simply mix any dead leaves together with the rest of your garden waste in the compost heap, but they should total no more than 25% of the heap’s mass.

If you do have to burn leaves or other garden waste, please remember that hedgehogs and other animals are likely to be hibernating in your bonfire pile, so please check it carefully before burning.

The only place leaves are not welcome in my garden is in the pond (all right on the lawn as well, but there they are not such a problem). Leaves can form a thick layer at the bottom of your pond and as they decompose, use up its oxygen supply. The simplest way to prevent this is to cover the pond with a net which will stop the leaves blowing in, but I prefer to raise it a little higher, so that birds and frogs can still have easy access.

Winter is a good time to thin out your pond plants if they have become overgrown. The recommended method is to leave the plants you remove by the edge of the pond, so that any wildlife living amongst them can make

their way back into the water. However I think a much better, albeit more painstaking way, is to wash the roots of your surplus plants in a bucket of water and when you have finished, slowly pour it back into the pond. These plants can then go straight onto the compost heap, although I check mine first for dragonfly larvae, which are often still clinging to the roots.

So, what happens when your pond freezes? If you have a very shallow pond or water in a pot, make sure you drain it completely because if it does freeze, the ice will expand and may crack your container. In a deeper pond this is generally not a problem and unless we are subject to a prolonged arctic winter, it shouldn’t freeze completely, which means that any animals living in the mud at the bottom are usually able to survive. When my pond freezes over, I simply place a pan of hot water on the surface and this will slowly melt its way through all but the thickest ice. An old camping kettle is even better, but either way, take care when walking around on potentially icy paths with a container of hot water.

You can always put night lights under a metal bird bath in an attempt to keep it free of ice, but I think a far easier way is to empty it at night and refill it with cold water the following morning. Remember though, whether you are outside topping up seed holders or filling the bird bath, be careful and dress up warmly.

Every year, people die in their gardens during the winter months having slipped on ice or died from the shock of venturing out of a warm house into the cold air, when all they were going to do was feed the birds. Our wildlife needs all the sympathetic gardeners it can get, not winter casualties.

The other killer in winter gardens is thick snow, not so much because it causes accidents, but due to the physical exertion involved in moving the stuff which can bring on heart attacks. Snow clearing is possibly the hardest, most back breaking job we ever do in our gardens, easily the equivalent of chopping a tree down with an axe, so always remember to warm up first and don’t over do it.

Although thick layers of snow insulate plants and the soil from extreme winter temperatures, a sudden heavy fall will damage hedges, trees and shrubs by weighing down their branches and snapping them off.

I go out and reduce the weight by knocking snow off these branches with a long-handled brush, but if you do this, make sure it doesn’t fall on your neighbour’s plot. There is nothing more annoying than having just cleared your drive, only to find your neighbour has come along a few hours later and knocked all the snow off his tree or hedge onto your side. I know, it has happened to me!

Happy and safe gardening.

Jack Daw