The ACTion meeting on the 3rd November aimed to decide the priorities for the group over the coming year. In a well attended meeting, the discussion was around three categories which had been identified as being priorities for local residents: the appearance of the area, local transport and road safety, and local shopping. In a lively, positive and enlightening series of discussions, the group identified a number of problems and issues faced by local residents in each category and came up with a number of positive courses of action to take as a group to make improvements.
Many local people feel that the Abbeydale Corridor has a poor appearance compared to some other areas of Sheffield and lacks the sort of coherent identity seen elsewhere. This isn’t helped by the poor quality and mixed nature of the paving, a large amount of litter at times, graffiti and a lack of colourful planters and greenery. The group decided that a first course of action was to invite a local councillor for a walkabout with local residents to see areas for improvement in the flesh. Why not come along? Details will be advertised once it is organised. The group are also going to look at the possibility of reinforcing the identity of the area with “Welcome to Abbeydale Road” signs, and possibly using the Abbeydale Picture House as a recognisable symbol for the area. After all, Abbeydale Road is a main thoroughfare and is many people’s first impression of Sheffield. We want to put “let’s go to Abbeydale Road” on the lips of Sheffield, South Yorkshire and beyond!
Attracting people to the area would naturally be good for local shops. There is obvious concern over the impact of the new Tesco, but the group decided that the arrival of Tesco could be a catalyst for igniting interest in the great variety of shops in the area. This would be a good opportunity to begin a “shop local” campaign and so the group will be approaching local shopkeepers to get their views on the best way to get this initiative off the ground.
The safety of roads in the area concerns many local residents as well as the lack of competition for public transport. There still seems to be an issue with speeding on Abbeydale Road and so the group is going to push for greater enforcement of the speed limit, particularly at night. It was also noted that there are 20mph child safety zones on the S7 side of Chippinghouse Rd. which are not mirrored on the S8 side and so the group will press for an extension to these. A couple of junctions in the area seem to be in need of review: the no right turn from Abbeydale Road onto Sheldon Road causes a great deal of confusion because of poor signposting, and the junction off Abbeydale Road and Carterknowle Road has been the scene of two ities in the past year. The group will refer both to the Council as priorities for action. Finally, concerns over the lack of competition on local bus routes will be referred to NENG.
Existing members of ACTion are keen for others to get involved. It is your area and you can make a difference by being part of a united front on issues that are important to you. ACTion is particularly keen to hear the views of young people in the area and to get them involved in the decision making and action, so if you would like to get involved in the group, please come along to the next meeting at St Peter’s Community Centre on Empire Road on Monday 1st December from 6pm to 8pm. All are welcome and the more the merrier.
Tom Chapman
