Environment

Rainbow Meadow in Shire Brook Valley is now home to a host of new four-legged friends as we see the arrival of Highland cows and Dexter cows. The introduction of the cows forms part of Sheffield City Council’s Species Survival Fund which aims to protect, enhance and widen areas of heathland, and it will help to manage and create areas of meadow.

People in Sheffield are being asked to help choose names for the city’s fleet of gritters but with a local twist, as preparations for the upcoming winter season get underway. There are 19 gritters in the Streets Ahead fleet with 12 gritters waiting to be named by members of the public while local school children are being invited to name the other five. The two smaller gritters in the fleet are not included in the competition.

Councils across England are developing plans to make recycling simpler and easier for residents and to help the planet. In Sheffield, a ‘Simpler Recycling’ consultation on future waste and recycling services is live for residents to have their say.

From Monday 29th July to Friday 2nd August, some bin collections in Sheffield will be affected by a Veolia refuse collectors strike. Veolia and the Council’s waste management team are working together to make sure there is as little disruption as possible. Everyone is advised to put their black, blue, and brown bins out before 7am on their scheduled collection day and leave them out until they have been emptied.

Following the Clean Air Zone’s (CAZ) one-year anniversary in February, we are now able to take an early look at the impact the CAZ is having on the quality of the air we breathe in Sheffield, and the news is very positive. Our 12-month annual average data for 2023 is showing that the level of Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) in Sheffield, caused by road pollution, has significantly improved, which is great news for the health of everyone in Sheffield.

Over a year on from the launch of Sheffield City Council’s Clean Air Zone, annual average data for 2023 shows that the level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from road traffic pollution has fallen significantly across Sheffield.

A series of overnight diversions will be in place for the next three weeks on a section of Sheffield Parkway as essential work takes place to repair bridges at the Handsworth Road interchange.

Sheffield residents looking for home improvement services online should be vigilant and check the credibility of businesses before handing over any money, so they don’t become victims of rogue traders. As part of a regional week of action to raise awareness of rogue traders operating online, Sheffield City Council’s trading standards enforcement officers are urging those looking for home maintenance work to check businesses are genuine.

The new advertising and sponsorship policy, which is one of the most ambitious in the country, was adopted this week by Sheffield City Council’s Finance Committee and includes restrictions on how advertising and sponsorship matters are managed.

Overnight diversions will be in place for three weeks as resurfacing works are carried out on Chesterfield Road in Woodseats. The works, which will start on Sunday, 10 March and will be carried out in three phases, will take place overnight between 9pm and 5am and will require the road to be closed during these hours to keep pedestrians, motorists and staff safe.

The Great British Spring Clean kicks into action this weekend and Sheffield residents are being urged to get involved by organising their own community litter picks. The two-week campaign, which starts on Saturday, 16 March, is spearheaded by Keep Britain Tidy and being supported by Sheffield City Council, in conjunction with Amey, contractors for the council’s Streets Ahead programme.

Clearing the city’s roads and pavements of fallen leaves has come to an end as Sheffield City Council will soon turn their attention to their grass cutting programme.

The installation of solar panels on thousands of buildings across Sheffield and creating new larger scale wind and solar opportunities are being considered as part of a decarbonisation route map.

Since the launch, data has shown that the number of non-compliant vehicles has reduced by nearly two-thirds, showing that people are making the switch to cleaner vehicles.

Greg Fell, Director of Public Health: A year on living with the CAZ and we are seeing the kind of positive results we were hoping for. The number of polluting vehicles within the CAZ boundary has seen a huge drop compared to the year before, two thirds of a reduction.

Sheffield city centre has been reaccredited with a Purple Flag award for the way it manages the city centre's night-time economy.

Sheffield City Council started a public consultation today about the possible introduction of a city centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO). A draft PSPO will form part of the consultation and would include restrictions around drinking alcohol on the streets, begging, loitering and drug use.

Several projects designed to reduce children’s exposure to harmful road pollution around their schools are to be expanded as part of plans to spend money generated from the Clean Air Zone (CAZ).

  Proposed plans to increase service charges for traders at the Moor Market will be considered by councillors next week. Service charges paid by traders to the Council to cover building running costs such as electricity, gas, water, cleaning, security, maintenance, and support costs haven’t been increased for 10 years.

Sheffield City Council’s Communities, Parks and Leisure Committee will decide on 29th January whether to give the go ahead to consult on the introduction of a city centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

In the latest developments for the Gleadless Valley Masterplan, Sheffield City Council have been successful in applying for external funding to demolish two unoccupied buildings in an extension to the current planned development.

Following the launch of Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) earlier this year, data shows there has been a significant increase in compliant vehicles driving in the CAZ and wider areas of the city.

Cllr Tom Hunt has written to the Secretary of State for the Environment Steve Barclay MP, asking for legislation to be introduced that would outlaw the practise of burning on the moors around the city.

Sheffield City Council and the city itself are making progress against targets to reduce emissions locally, as outlined in the first annual Climate Progress Report, and the Council has restated its ambition to working towards reduce emissions to net zero by 2030.

Sheffield General Cemetery, one of Sheffield's most fascination locations, celebrated the end of a four-year £3.8 million conservation and repair programme this summer and on 25th October there will be a gathering of those involved to acknowledge their invaluable support for this high-profile conservation project, and to celebrate Sheffield's heritage.

All updates relating to the Amber weather warning for Rain across Sheffield.  

The council has had a no burning policy on its land since 2016 and is highlighting the damaging effects of moorland burning on natural habitats, bio-diversity and people's health. 

The first phase of improvements to Sheffield’s flood defences are now complete in the Loxley Valley, Hillsborough. The Upper Don Flood Alleviation Scheme aims to protect 63 homes and 152 businesses from the damaging effects of flooding, like those seen in the area in 2007 and 2019.  

The Finance Committee will consider whether to approve grant funding to install 11 on-street electric vehicle charging points. The proposed locations for the new charging points are in areas where residents don’t have private off-street parking.

Temporary road changes have been made permanent on the Sheaf Valley Cycle Route following a more than a 62% increase in cycle trips in the past two years.

Active Travel Neighbourhoods in Crookes & Walkley are to be made permanent, following a decision at the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee. The scheme in Nether Edge will be modified to reflect the views of residents, with a number of pedestrian crossings remaining in place.

Amendments to the Draft Local Plan in response to public consultation were endorsed by Full Council on Wednesday 6 September. The Draft Local Plan will now be put forward for consideration by a Government planning inspector.