Property developer David Slater, who owns business units in Attercliffe, has set up the group to raise the profile of the area.

He says the neighbourhood is one of the major gateways into the city from junction 34 of the M1, and has dozens of booming businesses and huge attractions such as Sheffield Arena.

But he believes city leaders have ignored it for many years and there has to be a drive now to bring more investment in.

"Where else can you find a main arterial route into a major city that has a Supertram network, a canal and river, great bus routes, easy access to the Parkway and ring road, free parking, iconic buildings, world class sports facilities and major commercial and industrial investment?" he said.

"I moved into Attercliffe in 1994 with a very successful print business and on the back of that I realised this was the place to do business in Sheffield. Since then I have built up a multi-million pound property portfolio made up of business centres, but I have also become the champion of the Lower Don Valley.

"There are some wonderful buildings and it's flat land which is very good for businesses, but since 1997 nothing has been done to the area and the wealth-creators are being ignored."

Mr Slater is lobbying for everything from the streets to be kept clean to major investment.

"We want what the city centre has: places to have meals and places to sit outside, but Attercliffe is filthy," he claimed.

"Hundreds of thousands of pounds have been invested in the city centre and there should be similar investment in the east end, as it has the potential to be fantastic.

"The emphasis has been on the city centre for far too long.

"Everyone fights for the creative and digital industries yet the core industries at the heart of Sheffield are largely ignored."

The first Attercliffe Action Group meeting takes place on Monday November 24 at 2pm at The Science Park.



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