Well........part of the Corus site is now well into the "clearance" stage. I watched today as they tackled the demolition of one large building. The area being cleared is in the vicinity of "gate number 1" and stretching back towards the slip road leading to the bypass. I would imagine that the re-building of the new housing will begin very soon. So anybody looking to buy in a rural area.......keep your eyes on Stocksbridge.
There are many mixed feelings from the locals regarding the demise of the steel works. I can understand the loss felt by those that might have had family working there for generations and I can sympathise. However.......it is just another product of our country being sold down the river by successive governments and now that the industry is gone or allmost gone then re-generation has to be the way to go.
As an "in-comer" of over 20 years I can see both sides. We have never personally relied on the steel works for employment.......in fact we both travel many miles to our places of work. BUT.......we have enjoyed living in the area and have contributed to it's economy. I use the local shops whenever possible.........in fact I wouldn't dream of buying my fruit and veg from anywhere else but "Greens" veggy shop.
Stocksbridge does seem to be the butt of many a joke........that is usually from people that don't live here though. Perhaps there isn't enough for the youth to do.......I am not qualified to comment on this as my kids are all grown up. BUT.......what we do have is the most fantastic countryside right on our doorsteps. The schools are all brilliant.......or certainly were when mine attended a few years back now. We are well served by doctors and dentists.......one dentist who is a SF'er. lol. The shops are good.......it is just a pity about the bus service!! We have the motorway far enough away not to bother us yet close enough to serve us well.
We made the decision over 20 years ago to move here for several reasons. One being the price of the housing. We bought at the right time. A £16000 terraced house at the time. We have since moved on and bought a detached house which is now worth mega bucks! We also favoured the better atmosphere despite the steel industry. There is so much beauty surrounding Stocksbridge. Our kids were bought up appreciating the wildlife and the more "gentle" things around them. Ok.....we do have crime etc and any kids can get into that given the wrong set of friends........but I felt we gave ours a more sporting chance then being brought up in the city and its near suburbs.
I am beginning to sound like a "hard sell" for Stocksbridge/Deepcar. Honestly I am not employed by anybody to sell the area......I am doing it from the heart. If you want value for money.......if you want to be part of a hard working community with old fashioned values......if you want to breathe fresh air and have unlimited beauty on your doorstep. If you love to see the birds and the natural wildlife in your garden........then re-locate to Stocksbridge/Deepcar. This place is on "the up" and before much longer it will become very expensive to live here. Get your foot on the ladder now.

I couldnt agree more about Stocky/Deepcar. I to was an incomer about 12 years ago, having been brought up near to the city centre, having married a Stocksbridge lass.
At first i just could not get used to living so far out of town and not having the city centre, London and Eccleshall Roads within walking distance. Also there did seem to exist a small town narrow minded mentality amongst the locals, even though part of the city boundry, a strong mistrust of everything/anybody from Sheffeild.
As time passed and no doubt i began to socialise more within the valley and less in Sheffield, i did begin to feel part of the community, and no longer felt i wanted to move back to Sheffield. As i visit parents/ family in the same area of Sheffield i was raised, i cannot comprehend how my quality of life for myself and my family (2 young children under 7) has improved since moving up here, given the amount of crime, anti social behaviour etc which they experience.
House prices were always cheaper up here, but during the past 5/6 years seem to be slowly matching similar properties in the city, and as you say in any direction you are surrounded by wonderful countyside and even the Peak District National Park beyond Bolsterstone.
On a negative point i feel something has to be done regarding the transport links, given that with all of the new housing the majority will work outside of the valley. The bus service to Sheffield is inadequate and very slow (and can add 2 hours travelling time onto your working day), they missed a great oppurtunity to extend the tram from Middlewood along the old railway, and maybe this should have been a condition of the planning applications of the new housing. The by pass is fine except for the island at Tankersley, the queues either way during the rush hour are horrendous and this will only get worse (maybe an overpass for theA616?)
But i can see the area of offering great potential for families wanting a better quality of life. I hope the influx will have a positive impact on the valley.

I find it sad to see Corus running down the site, more jobs being shipped out to somewhere else again. Decent paid jobs as well, wages on which you could support a family in a decent lifestyle. Had Corus invested in the site then I would agree that Stocksbridge is on the up, but not now.
That area will have to undergo a lot of change before I would consider investing any hard-earned cash there. The crime rates and anti-social behaviour patterns follow the same path as the old mining villages did when the coal industry was dismantled. I fear Stocksbridge will get a lot worse before it starts to get better.

I find it sad to see that planners think they could build shed loads of housing but have no thought to transport arrangements or services.

In the plans I saw there was no mention of how the doctors, schools would cope with the extra influx of people and no extra plans to improve the roads.

Not to mention the fact the plans highlight that the current sewerage and drainage system is unable to cope.

I LOVE Stocksbridge. I've just come back from a bike ride up Long Lane - yes I'm 27 and I still go for bike rides. If you lived here you'd want to get out and see the beautiful countryside too! I go for walks up to the Trig Point at Bolsterstone at least once a week and every time I'm up there the view takes my breath away.

I lived in London (and various other places) for about 6 years before coming back here to go to uni as a mature student. I was brought up mostly in Stocksbridge and I remember as a small kid spending long summer days picking bilberries and going on 'adventures' in the countryside with my friends.

As a teenager though, I don't think I appreciated how wonderful this area is. Now I do.:)

I always shop locally. Green's is fabulous as is Crawshaw's butchers - their sausages are brill! Everything else you need you can get in the Co Op or in Lidl. There's even the Factory Shop now which sells clothes and kitchenware among other things.

I think that Stocksbridge has had a rough deal but it's still a great community that's picking itself up again, there are plenty of people here who care about their community and who are actively involved in projects and I think it's definitely on the up.

I've made fun of the area in the past but now I really appreciate its advantages and I really feel very lucky to live here. :thumbsup: