In the broader context, I do not understand how he can be so upbeat about the new buildings overlooking the Peace Gardens, the new car park on Eyre Street and several other recent prominent buildings. At local level in my neighbourhood the picture is also far from perfect. For example:

(1) Planning officers and councillors routinely dismiss concerns about developments expressed by such Sheffield bodies as the Conservation Advisory Group and the Urban Design Review Panel and external bodies including the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, set up by the Government to raise the standards of building design.

(2) Planning guidance on the design of shop fronts in Sheffield's conservation areas does not exist, unlike other towns and cities. So now we have shops with industrial shutters, a mish-mash of rendering materials, illuminated signs, fascia panels of all shapes and sizes, advertising hoardings, etc.

(3) Over 18 months ago my local residents association raised some questions about developments that it believed had not received planning permission.

The planners agreed the queries were of legitimate concern but a reply has never been received.

(4) Commercial premises in the neighbourhood where I live continue to flout planning law by trading outside the permitted times. No action is taken.

(5) Information about planning applications on the council's website is often confused, incomplete or out of date, making it difficult for people to keep track of them and have the input they are entitled to.

These are just some of the ways in which the planning process as it affects my community and probably others in Sheffield is unsatisfactory and should be improved. That may require more resources and different policies and it is our elected representatives who determine these. Then we judge them at the ballot box.



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