News from Sheffield Labour

No prospect of government departments relocating to Waverley

Sheffield Attercliffe MP Clive Betts MP said today: “There is no prospect of Government departments relocating to Waverley, as the developers have suggested.”

Clive Betts revealed the contents of a letter from Angela Eagle MP, the Treasury Minister responsible for government office decentralisation.

In the letter, Angela Eagle confirmed that her officials had met the Chief Executives of Rotherham and Sheffield Councils, as well as the representatives of the Waverley development (Helical/Governetz) to discuss this.

Angela Eagle then stated very clearly: “…in this particular instance (Waverley), no central government relocations are either planned or have been identified for either this site or in the immediate adjoining area. The lack of any existing public transport access to the Waverley site is a significant reason for this.”

Clive Betts said: “It is absolutely disgraceful that the developers should be continuing to perpetuate the myth that there would be relocation of government departments to this site, when they know it is simply untrue.

It is misleading of the developers to misrepresent the real position in this way to local people.

Councillors in Rotherham and Sheffield need to realise that this is simply an attempt to secure planning permission for speculative office development on the Waverley site, completely contrary to national and regional policy guidelines.”

Clive Betts continued: “Ever since the development site was first proposed, I have been insisting that there must be an acceptable transport strategy in place as pre-requisite for the consideration of any detailed planning application.

The developers have not even produced a proper strategy for the rest of their proposals.

That’s why the office development proposals must be rejected now, and the developers should be told that no consideration will be given to the housing elements until an acceptable transport strategy is agreed.”