Questions of Councillor Tim Huggan to Councillor Bob Johnson (Cabinet Member for Transport and Development)

Question: What is the implementation date for Safe School Streets schemes that have been identified for schools under current proposals?

Answer: April 2021 onwards. Due to Covid 19 and the subsequent lack of resource, scheme designs have been delayed.

Question: Is there scope for Council officers to accept school streets outside schools not identified in the process if parents/teachers/local residents effectively do it themselves and submit plans to the Council for sign off?

Answer: Schools and communities can run one off events which include a temporary road closure, (like Greystones Primary did (Nov 16th) as part of their Road Safety week). However they would be unable to create a “School Street” . School Streets are permanent schemes (open to change in accordance with consultation, objections etc), they require a different Traffic Regulation Order, permanent signage, parking restrictions, a traffic management plan, consultation with local businesses and residents and enforcement – all of which needs to be Council led and approved as with any other highways scheme.

Questions of Councillor Tim Huggan to Councillor Mark Jones

(Cabinet Member for Environment, Streetscene and Climate Change)

Question: Does the Council have a Carbon Reduction Plan to be embedded into the emerging Local Plan Draft?

Answer: The Sheffield Plan Issues and Options document (Sept 2020) highlighted the need to work towards being net zero carbon by 2030. The Zero Carbon Commission that is being conducted by Arup and Ricardo will inform the Publication Draft Sheffield

Plan that is due to be published in summer 2021. A range of policies will be included in the plan to reduce carbon emissions and respond to climate change in accordance with national planning policy and guidance. These policies will be developed over the next few months.

Question: How does the Council monitor the levels of Carbon Emissions and the potential Carbon footprint for construction projects that take place across Sheffield?

Answer: We do not currently assess or monitor the carbon footprint of the construction element of new developments. There is no requirement in national planning legislation or guidance to do so. However, applications for new development must show how they comply with current requirements for meeting their predicted energy needs from decentralised renewable or low carbon energy, or how they will incorporate other design measures to reduce the development’s overall predicted carbon emissions.

Question: Does the Council plan to declare an Ecological Emergency for Sheffield? How might this take place and when?

Answer: At the last Sheffield Green City Partnership Board meeting members of the South

Yorkshire Local Nature Partnership (SYLNP) asked the Council to consider declaring an Ecological Emergency in Sheffield along-side its current declaration of a Climate Emergency for the city. Labour members also spoke in favour of declaring an Ecological Emergency in the Overview Scrutiny Management Committee held on Thursday 26th November 2020. We will be making recommendations to the next Green City Partnership Board. A number of projects are currently being considered by strategic partners which would contribute to this aspiration around tree planting, Nature Recovery Networks and Bio-diversity Net Gain which are in the early stages of development.

With regard to urban agriculture , food growing and the desire to replace grass with more suitable plants to increase biodiversity, two specific projects are worth noting.

Firstly work to refresh the Council’s Allotments Strategy in collaboration with Sheffield University which will review current approaches to urban food growing in particular the role our 2,500 allotments can make to this.

Secondly we are looking to roll out a further phase of the Urban Nature Programme in our Parks and Greenspaces identifying additional areas of grassland where a change of mowing regime could enhance amenity grassland and make these areas richer in bio-diversity.

As and when we move forward with an Ecological Emergency further projects will come forward where funding opportunities can be identified.

Question of Councillor Tim Huggan to Councillor Mary Lea (Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Leisure)

Question:  Given the rebuilding of the Bolehills Pavilion has been delayed, what is the new timescale for its rebuilding and when should it reopen for use by the public?

Answer: We are working in partnership with local groups including the bowls club and Sport England to secure the funding needed to deliver a new pavilion for the recreation ground. We hope to have the funding in place shortly. Once funding and approvals are in place, design, procurement, and construction will take approximately 6-months. We therefore anticipate opening the pavilion to the public by September 2021.