Autumn 2004

This must have been one of the most humid summers on record, and we certainly sweltered through what can only be described as an English Monsoon in early August. No drought this year, and a welcome return to butterflies and hover flies, if not the accompanying wasps!

Unfortunately the rain and warmth has encouraged some prolific plant growth, raising problems with hedges and shrubs overhanging and restricting footpaths. So far these have been handled good naturedlly with help from B.A.G. Let's hope the weather is fine for the Summer Fun Day they are organising. Also that the field by Bradway Annex can be developed as public open space for the benefit and use of residents.

The local elections in June led to some changes in local representation. The new councillors are; Keith Hill (Liberal Democrat); Anne Smith (Conservative); and Michael Waters (Conservative). I am sure they will all fight for better services in our part of the city.

There are also new faces in the shape of Jane and husband Chris at The Bradway.

Finally, while we are talking about pubs, there is fame for Bradway at last. According to the recent survey of beer prices in Sheffield by CAMRA, we can boast availability of both the cheapest and most expensive pint. At the beginning of July these were Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter at the Old Mother Redcap (£1.20) and Marston's Pedigree at the Bradway Hotel (£2.40). Cheers!

Builders skips regularly grace our roads and verges. Sometimes dangerous, often unsightly, they are inevitable when extensions are being built or new driveways laid. There are however rules associated with their use.

To place a rubbish skip on the public highway or verge, it is necessary to apply by phone to the Highways Dept at Sheffield Council for a permit. Broadly speaking, if a car could be parked on the spot, then a licence will be issued at a cost of £2 for up to 2 weeks, renewable.

Certain safety rules must be followed, including reflective plates on the corners of the skip. Skips must also have a company name and telephone number on their sides to enable contact in emergencies.

Large areas of Bradway are in a digital black spot, unable to receive the Freeview digital TV channels by terrestrial means. We tried to find out why, and when the situation will be rectified.

Currently there are 80 transmitters broadcasting digital television, but they only cover 70% of the population. We understand there is little more that can be done to increase coverage without creating interference with current analogue broadcasts, due to a shortage of wavebands. Yet the Government plans to switch off analog TV sometime between 2006 and 2010.

No date or firm proposals for the balance of the change over have yet been fixed, but an announcement is expected later this year. In the meantime we are in limbo, unless you switch to satellite TV.

In 1935 Frank Crawshaw gave the people and city of Sheffield the amazing gift of Beauchief Abbey and its surrounding buildings. At the same time he sold them the land which is now Beauchief golf course. The Abbey has been well looked after by the City, and is still in weekly use for services, but some of the surrounding buildings have not fared so well.

About 100 yards south of the Abbey is a group of stone barns which have had little maintenance and are used to store golf course equipment. Yet as they are Grade Two Listed Buildings, the Council has a duty to maintain them. Recently the Council applied for planning permission to convert these barns into 2 houses. After planning permission was granted, the barns and land would be sold to a developer.

This seemed wrong and regrettable to a number of people and organisations connected with the area, and in October 2003 the Beauchief Abbey Barns Association BABA was set up to look for an alternative future for the barns. This involves making an second planning application with a view to restoring the barns and converting them for the benefit of the community.

This alternative plan proposes to repair the barns with minimal alteration. An experienced stone mason has advised us that the barns are not in such a bad state as they look; they need repairing, but not wholesale pulling down and rebuilding. From its roof timbers, the largest barn (south end) seems to have been a cruck barn and it could be used for lectures, parties, and exhibitions. Other smaller bays lend themselves to a variety of purposes.

The woods and open spaces near the barns are already an important resource for schools and university departments. There would be good use for a seminar room and a utility room for work on archaeological finds. Beauchief Environment Group (BEG) and the Golf Course both need space to store machinery and tools. BEG contributes a substantial effort in maintaining and improving the environment (repairing walls, hedging, interpretation) and deserves the support of the wider community. There are many other possibilities, not least the provision of a toilet for golfers and people undertaking the Round Walk.

Preliminary enquiries suggest that the project fits the requirements of a number of grants, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund. It would therefore he BABA's task to raise guarantees for matching funding to qualify for such grants. Detailed costings are in progress, but in round numbers it may be that BABA might need to raise £25,000.

If you care for this remarkable unspoiled and beautiful area please join BABA. It is historically important - there is the whole mediaeval landscape of the Abbey lying beneath our feet, stretching across to the Abbeydale Hamlet. A cynic might add that turning the barns into housing would be the thin end of the wedge: the area round the Barns becoming a developers paradise. But, more positively, BABA sees a way of turning the Barns into a great community resource without spoiling them or cutting them out of the common heritage.

If you would like more information or wish to join BABA now (£5 pa), please contact Francis Evans on 258 5346.

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