OtherObjectionLetters

from James Richardson (printed in Star w/c 3 July

It is no wonder that Steve Wilkinson’s plans to develop the Anglican Chapel in Sheffield General Cemetery have been roundly condemned by those who know and love this beautiful urban green space (‘Developer Planning to be at Home in the Cemetery’, Telegraph June 23rd). The development – which would transform the Grade II Listed building into a dwelling for Mr Wilkinson and his family, and a sizeable portion of the Cemetery into their private garden – will be detrimental to local wildlife, the splendid landscape designed by Robert Marnock, the heritage of the area and of the city, and the needs of the local community.

Since they were made public, the plans have attracted objections from a large number of local people, local Councillors, the Sheffield General Cemetery Trust and Sharrow Community Forum: in case he was in any doubt, Mr Wilkinson should by now have realised that he and his plans are not wanted. His professed desire to ‘help the Friends of the General Cemetery to try to bring the rest of the Cemetery back up to what it should be’ is both patronising (any regular visitor to the Cemetery will know that this group of volunteers has already made great progress in restoring the site, and without Mr Wilkinson’s help) and disingenuous (his offer of help would ring more true if he did not have such an obvious financial incentive in developing the Chapel). Nor do Mr Wilkinson’s other developments around the city suggest his plans for the Chapel are motivated by a love of local heritage: his ‘restoration’ of the Listed Glossop Road Baths involved incongruous timber cladding, plastic downpipes and windows.

If the current plans are approved, activities ranging from Sunday morning walks to large scale events like the recent ‘Peace in the Park’ fundraising festival would be curtailed; established rights of way would be lost; and the Chapel would follow the fate of so many Sheffield buildings, ‘preserved’ at the expense of public use, transformed into yet another luxury private dwelling. Most worrying of all is the possibility that turning the Chapel over to residential use would be a stepping stone to conversion into student accommodation or flats, involving further structural changes and the introduction of a transient population uninterested in local affairs or the preservation of the Cemetery landscape. Mr Wilkinson sold the Glossop Road Baths and this beautiful building is a now a neon-signed chain pub. There is nothing to stop him selling the Chapel as soon as the conversion is complete, leaving it prey to similarly unsympathetic development.

It is my belief that the Chapel can and should be preserved for community use. I would urge anyone who uses the Cemetery to study the relevant planning application on the Council’s website, and direct letters and emails of objection to Planning Officer Margaret Smith at the Planning Department, Howden House, S1 2HH.

Tom Stafford (published in Star and Telegraph w/c 3 July

So a rich developer is planning to enclose part of the General Cemetery and the convert the chapel into an expensive house ('Developer planning to be at home in the cemetery', Telegraph, Friday, June 23). If Steve Wilkinson really respected 'the jewel' that is the cemetery he would leave it well alone - his development plans will remove land that is currently open to the public, cut of the south-end entrance to the cemetery and remove forever the possibility that the chapel could be turned over to community use. Mr Wilkinson talks about seeing the rest of the cemetery improved 'like the Botanical Gardens'. Well, I've news for you Mr Wilkinson, the General Cemetery Trust already has vastly improved the rest of the cemetery, and your plans add nothing. This development would be a wound in the side of what has become one of Sheffield's most vibrant and unique public spaces.