Hello. The main item in our newsletter this month is the Civic Trust's new statement on the city's street trees. We also have new details about this year's Sheffield Design Awards, Heritage Open Days, a thank you to our sponsors and - can you help us to celebrate our 10th birthday? If you have any upcoming events, projects or news that we could help promote in a future newsletter please get in touch to let us know.
Sheffield Civic Trust Trees statement
Over the past year the treatment of street trees in Sheffield has become a hotly-contested and much-debated issue across the city. As an organisation the Civic Trust always aims to encourage wider public awareness of Sheffield’s buildings, places and spaces and state our views, on behalf of the residents of Sheffield, to the city’s authorities.
As such at our last meeting the Civic Trust trustees debated the trees issue and agreed a statement which is provided below. We have sent the statement to the City Council and will continue to monitor this issue, as we know many of you are doing. We always welcome comments and views on our work so please get in touch with us if you have any feedback info@sheffieldcivictrust.org.uk
Sheffield Civic Trust Trees statement:
The Sheffield Civic Trust believes that Sheffield's street trees are an important part of the character of the city and its streets, and must be treated as important assets.
The Trust acknowledges the legal duties and responsibilities of Sheffield City Council, as delivered by the Streets Ahead team, on action for dead, dying and diseased trees.
The Trust is dismayed by the lack of a policy on trees for Sheffield and urges the council to take the opportunity the current injunction gives to ensure that the Streets Ahead project is based upon sound impartial consultants' advice and best practice.
During the period of suspension imposed by the injunction, current practices and contracts relating to the city’s trees should undergo fundamental review and the Trust urges the Council to take effective action promptly.
Lee Heykoop, a member of Sheffield Civic Trust’s trustee board, has written a new blog for us on the trees issue. The blog which you can read here gives her personal take on the treatment of street trees in Sheffield and offers her views on what needs to happen next.
Call for sponsors for the Sheffield Design Awards 2016!
Sheffield Design Awards will this year unite with Sheffield Design Week to celebrate and honour the fantastic design we have across our city. Uniting with Design Week ensures this will be as a high-profile an event as ever, with all key industry professionals attending or entering the awards. The Awards will be held in October with an exact date TBC. You can see all the previous winners here.
This year Sheffield Civic Trust is 10 years old and we're planning a celebration event to be held in the summer - but we need a venue, can you help?
We're looking for a city centre venue to host an evening celebration event for around 100 people in either June or July. If you run a venue or know somewhere we could use please get in touch with us atinfo@sheffieldcivictrust.org.ukAnd watch this space for details of the celebration event! We'll share them with you all as soon as we can.
A thank you to our sponsors
We are extremely grateful for the generous support of our valued corporate sponsors who help support, sustain and develop our activities. Their support is vital to allowing us to continue to raise awareness about the development of our city. We would like to publicly thank all of our current sponsors for their support: Spawforths, Bond Bryan, Norton Mayfield, Hadfield Cawkwell Davidson, Studio Gedye, ARUP, HLM and Ares Landscape. If your company or organisation is interested in supporting the activities of the Trust, please get in touch at info@sheffieldcivictrust.org.uk
Heritage Open Days-September 2016
This year's Heritage Open Days take place between 8th-11th September and our planning is off to a good start. Registration opened on 8th March and we have 7 properties on the list to date. If you would like to help our planning, or if you know a building that could be involved in this year's event, please contact Liz Godfrey at godfrey.liz@gmail.com
The committee are busy visiting properties to encourage new participants and so far we've been to the Cruck Barn in Gleadless Valley. Did you know it existed and that it's Sheffield's second oldest building? We've also strayed over the border into Rotherham to see the Technology Park and AMRC which covers the territory of Orgreave Coking Plant and Waverley Open Cast Pit. They have an interesting story to tell.
We are excited to welcome a walk along the canal which has lots to see along its length…birds , buildings, fish and lock gates.
And finally we are still trying to track down the person responsible for Birley Spa, a place lots of people have said they would like to have a look at. Any ideas?
Conservation Advisory Group
Each month Sheffield City Council's Conservation Advisory Group meets to consider the impact of planning applications and potential new developments on heritage assets and conservation areas in the city. The Civic Trust is a member of the group and we're looking for new volunteers to attend the meetings on our behalf. If you would be interested in representing the Civic Trust on the Advisory Group then please get in touch. Email us at info@sheffieldcivictrust.org.uk
Sheffield Society of Architects City Centre Urban Design Compendium event:
Wednesday 13th April 6pm-9pm at The Roco on Glossop Road.
Sheffield City Council is currently reviewing and updating its 'City Centre Urban Design Compendium' alongside the new City Centre Masterplan and they are keen to hear views and ideas. In April Sheffield Society of Architects (SSA) are holding a workshop to look at issues such as intensification and growth, relative heights of buildings, tall buildings, the changing character and potential future for specific city centre quarters. If you would like to attend you can contact SSA at sheffieldsocietyofarchitects@gmail.com
Forthcoming event- Servicing Utopia: Social Change through Accessible Design
Next month a new project called Servicing Utopia will be launched with an event on April 18th. Servicing Utopia is a collaborative project involving the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Leeds, Sheffield Civic Trust and Doncaster Civic Trust. The launch event is aimed at Planners, Architects, Interior and Product Designers and so may be of interest to lots of you.
When: April 18th 12pm until 4pm
Where: Exhibition Space, The Arts House, 8 Backfields, Sheffield S1 4HJ
Servicing Utopia asks what 'utopia in the 21st century' means, in architectural terms, for many different people and communities. The project builds on the 'Around The Toilet' research project and starts from the position that adequate toilet provision is about the right for all people to access and participate fully in public and civic life. It is focused upon engaging with architects about the toilet design process, to develop a ‘toilet toolkit’.
Would you like to join Sheffield Civic Trust? If you're passionate about Sheffield and want to help shape the debate about the buildings, places, spaces of our city then why not become a member? http://sheffieldcivictrust.org.uk/join/
