Press Releases
MP’s factfinding walk in Bolehill Wood
March 2021
Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh has “walked the walk” to reinforce her support for the campaign to keep an urban wood free of development.
She also revealed she had asked the new owners what they plan to do with the ancient woodland, on the hillside between Woodseats and Norton Woodseats in her constituency.
The Labour MP met leading figures in the Friends of Bolehill Wood there to find out more about why the wood is so special.
And she said afterwards: “I was really glad to visit and speak with the people behind this fantastic campaign. This is a real asset and clearly valued by the local community. People have walked these paths for many hundreds of years.
“I’ll continue to support the campaign to ensure the wood is maintained and kept open.”
She has written to the new owners, Woodseats company AMGR Property Management Ltd, asking what their plans are for the wood. They bought it at auction in January after pipping the Friends’ £67,000 bid by £1,000.
Friends chair Penny Dembo updated the MP on where things stood now, and Ms Haigh said she was pleased that the two sides were now communicating with each other.
She then walked one of the wood’s rights-of-way – observing social distancing – with ecologist Matt Falconer and landscape architect Nathan Edwards. They detailed the flora and fauna of the 2.4-acre wood and why it is unsuitable for development. She also saw for herself the “massive problems” posed by getting vehicle access to the woodland.
Penny Dembo said: “It was great to show Louise round the woods and have Matt and Nathan give her a breakdown of the wildlife and woodland’s status now as a natural history site, including its tree preservation orders. Her support goes back to the early days of the campaign and means a lot to our supporters.”
People can find out more by searching online for friendsofbolehillwood and friendsofcobnarwood.
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For further information contact Clark Herron: 07714-597530
Bolehill Wood – campaigners plan next steps
Thursday February 4 2021
Campaigners fighting to save a Sheffield woodland from development have offered a public invitation to the new owners – “Talk to us and let’s work together.”
But they are also gearing up for action, with the creation of a Woodland Watch, should development be proposed for the site, on a hillside between Woodseats and Norton-Woodseats.
These were among several steps forward decided on in a Zoom meeting last night (Wedy) of some 45 members of the Friends of Bolehill Wood.
“There was powerful strength of feeling,” said a group director, Pauline Zel. “And we know that mirrors the mood among our two hundred members. We do genuinely want to work in co-operation with the owners, but we will not stand by and see this valuable community asset damaged.”
The meeting also agreed to investigate legal protections for the 2.4-acre site. These include ensuring Tree Protection Orders (TPOs) are adhered to – and enforced by the City Council.
The group narrowly missed out on buying the wood at auction last month. A £68,000 bid in the dying minutes pipped their £67,000 offer. Since then, the new owners have pledged through the media that they have “no immediate or destructive plans” for the wood.
They also said that they would be getting in touch with the campaigners but for the time being wished to remain anonymous. So far, there has been only silence.
The campaign has won cross-part support, from the local Labour Party and MP Louise Haigh – who has pledged ongoing support for the campaigners – and from Lib-Dem councillors. One of those, Cllr Ian Auckland, said last night he was seeking a briefing from council officials on the legal and planning status of the wood.People can find out more by searching online for friendsofbolehillwood and friendsofcobnarwood.
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Media enquiries to Clark Herron: 07714-597530
Bolehill Wood – cautious welcome for pledge
Wednesday January 27 2021
Campaigners fighting to save a Sheffield woodland from development have given a cautious welcome to a statement from its new owners aimed at reassuring them.
The Friends of Bolehill Wood, in the Woodseats-Norton Woodseats area of the city, narrowly missed out on acquiring the 2.4-acre woodland at auction this week. A £68,000 bid in the dying minutes pipped their £67,000 offer.
They have been campaigning for a few weeks to ensure there is no development of the woodland at the heart of communities in the area. Today (Wed) they heard a pledge from the new owners that they have “no immediate or destructive plans” for the wood.
The statement also said that the owners would be getting in touch with the campaigners but for the time being wished to remain anonymous.
The directors of the Friends’ group said today: “We welcome their pledge to reach out to us and their reassurance on their plans for the wood. We’re sure they will understand if we are wary and hoping to get a rather more cast-iron guarantee, but we’ll be very happy to talk with them and work together for the good of the wood and the communities.”
People can find out more by searching online for friendsofbolehillwood and friendsofcobnarwood. Now the Friends are organizing the return of donations to people who want their money back.
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For further information contact Clark Herron: 07714-597530.
Community fights to save woodland
Tuesday January 25 2021
The Battle for Bolehill Wood goes on. That’s the pledge of campaigners fighting to ensure there is no development of woodland at the heart of communities in Sheffield.
The 2.4-acre site was sold at auction today (Tuesday). The Friends of Bolehill Wood went to their limit of £67,000 but were narrowly beaten by a £68,000 offer in a flurry of bids in the dying minutes. But while disappointed, they are not downhearted.
“It’s devastating, but the campaign goes on,” said Chris Robinson, one of the group’s directors. “We don’t know what the buyer has in mind for the woodland, but we would hope to work in partnership with the new owner for the benefit of the environment, so that animals and people can continue to enjoy these woods as they have for generations.
“One thing is certain – we cannot and will not stand by and see this invaluable wildlife habitat destroyed.”
The auction, conducted online by Sheffield property agent Mark Jenkinson & Son, attracted two other bidders.
“Ultimately we just couldn’t beat the top amount,” said another Friends director, Pauline Zel. “We’re heartbroken, but determined to protect the wood.”
The Friends don’t yet know who the new owner is. After just a few weeks’ campaigning they raised awareness of the potential threat – and many thousands of pounds from more than 400 donors for their bid for the wood, which sits on a hillside between Woodseats, lower down, and Norton Woodseats, above.
They grew from just a handful of people to about 300 in a couple of weeks, won massive public backing and political cross-party support, from Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh, who praised the effort as “incredible”, and local Lib-Dem councillors.
Louise Haigh said: “I’m so sad for the campaigners. They have highlighted what should be clear to everyone — we need these green spaces more than ever, for the sake of wildlife and ourselves. Especially in this time of Covid. I hope the new owner will be sympathetic to that. Certainly, I’ll work with the campaigners to protect the woodland.”
People can find out more by searching online for friendsofbolehillwood and friendsofcobnarwood. Now the Friends are organizing the return of donations to people who want their money back.
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For further information contact Clark Herron: 07714-597530.
Community fights to save woodland
Monday January 25 2021
A Sheffield MP has thrown her weight behind the fight to save woodland from development.
As the battle for Bolehill Wood goes down to the wire, with the auction starting on Tuesday at 9am, Heeley MP Louise Haigh praised the campaigners’ efforts as “incredible.”
They set up the Friends of Bolehill Wood only about two weeks ago and soon sailed past the guide-price of £10,000 put on two-and-a-half-acre site by agents Mark Jenkinson & Son.
Louise Haigh, whose constituency includes the woodland — between Woodseats and Norton Woodseats — said: “The campaigners have highlighted what should be clear to everyone — we need these green spaces more than ever, for the sake of wildlife and ourselves. Especially in this time of Covid.
“This woodland means so much to several communities. Our local Labour Party has already spread the word to several hundred members. We will do what we can to back the campaigners.”
This means the campaign has won cross-party support, as Lib-Dem councillors for the area have also pledged their backing.
As the campaigners give one final fund-raising push for their bid, more than 300 people have now committed thousands of pounds to the fight. They include a man who grew up beside the wood and now lives in Los Angeles, who found out about the campaign online. If the bid fails, donations can be refunded.
People can find out more by searching online for friendsofbolehillwood and friendsofcobnarwood. Donations can be given online via the website or http://bit.ly/bolehillfundraiser.
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For further information contact Clark Herron: 07714-597530.
Community fights to save woodland
Friday January 22 2021
A community has gone into battle to head off potential threats to woodland at its heart. The fight could see them squaring up to “big-boy developers” who are eyeing up the area as a potential money-maker.
People living around Bolehill Wood in the Woodseats and Norton Woodseats areas of Sheffield, one of Europe’s greenest cities, fear that all or part of that environment could be lost, despite it being categorized as an area of Natural History Interest and having Tree Protection Orders.
“We want to ensure that this woodland is saved for this and future generations,” said one of the campaign’s four directors, Chris Robinson.
The Friends of Bolehill Wood group grew rapidly, from a handful to 200, after residents were shocked to find the 2.42-acre (0.98-hectare) site was up for auction on Tuesday January 26, its owner having retired. The plot forms roughly half of woodland on the hillside between the higher Bolehill area of Norton Woodseats and the Woodseats area lower down. It includes several public rights of way linking the two areas and is accessed via Cobnar Road, Cobnar Avenue, Cherry Bank Road and Helmton Drive.
Within hours of the news, and through Covid-enforced Zoom meetings and urgent phone-messaging, the campaigners had raised thousands of pounds in the hope that they might be able to buy the woods, either privately or at the auction. Property agent Mark Jenkinson & Son has given a guide-price for the site of £10,000, but it is likely to go for significantly more. Now the Friends are preparing for auction and making urgent further appeals for donations.
The sale has prompted interest among developers, at least one of whom is London-based, and there is at least one private local bidder. The action group said that even if its bid proved unsuccessful it would welcome opportunities to support the protection and management of the woods.
“It’s not a great site for development, with access and other difficulties,” said another director, Pauline Zel. “Some developers could be sympathetic, but the danger is that some big-boy corporate takes it over and wouldn’t care what damage is done to this valued environment. Wildlife and trees are all at risk, as are people’s homes, especially those downhill from the site if trees are removed that currently help protect against flooding.”
After Sheffield City Council cut down some ash trees hit by Ash Die-back, at least one home down the hill suffers from a waterlogged garden every winter.
People can find out more by searching online for friendsofbolehillwood and friendsofcobnarwood. Donations can be given online via the website or http://bit.ly/bolehillfundraiser. The group’s Dawn Boulton said: “We need at least £20,000, but from support so far we’re confident the community can do it. If we fail, those who so wish will have their donations returned.”
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For further information, contact: Clark Herron 07714-597530