Just wondering if anybody knows who owns these properties, and are any for sale.

Seems a shame that all this land is just going to waste.

Surely some form of development could take place or perhaps just clear the sites and provide a link road to middlewood, it would benefit traffic flow around hillsborough.???

A bridge over the Don from Clay Wheels Lane to Winn Gardens has been long pleaded for.

Winn used to be in the catchment area for Chaucer School, so a way to get over the river would have been perfect for the Winn kids.

From what I hear, a lot of them used to walk into Beeley woods and shimmy along the pipe that crosses the river a bit further up...

As the crow flies, Winn and Foxhill estates are fairly close, but you just cant get between them because of the lack of bridge. Seems stupid to have Clay Wheels Lane as a long, wide road to nowhere when it could be a way to avoid the snarled Catch Bar/Leppings Lane junction. Might be helpful on Matchdays too.

Surely it's not completely out of the question?

The buildings are the old Bachelors factory and head office where they used make the mushy peas and soups... mmmm. :D

They were bought about 7 years ago by a Malaysian (or Indonesian / Phillipino? I forget - they had photo's on the walls of their owner, Dr Ang, meeting and greeting various South China Sea despots) outfit called ATS who went around Sheffield buying up all the daft buildings that nobody else wanted. There were various rumours about why they were spending silly money on property, but nothing was ever proven. They have since disappeared from Sheffield.

The buildings have been sold on in the last couple of years. Unfortunately, because of the hairpin at Birley Carr and the railway bridge lower down there is a major problem in redeveloping them because they have no road access for any sizable vehicles, and especially not cranes that would be needed to build anything new.

Originally posted by Tony
Unfortunately, because of the hairpin at Birley Carr and the railway bridge lower down there is a major problem in redeveloping them because they have no road access for any sizable vehicles, and especially not cranes that would be needed to build anything new.

Ahh, that is a problem. Always wondered why they are not doing anything with the old Batchelors site. Never thought about that.

Maybe they could transport the required construction machinery by railway directly to the site?

Originally posted by jackthedog
Ahh, that is a problem. Always wondered why they are not doing anything with the old Batchelors site. Never thought about that.

Maybe they could transport the required construction machinery by railway directly to the site?

You would think that would be an option, but modern construction firms just aren't geared up for such things and the costs would be horrendous.

If you think about it you would have to actually build a railway station and probably a siding and then the road to get to it from the sites.

That's all assuming that the line can carry the weight of the materials and remains largely unused as it is at the moment. As soon as it comes back into regular use (as discussed in another thread) you're snookered!

I think the only way into the site would be to build a bridge over the railway behind the Union Carbide factory and come in from Middlewood Road. Again - massive costs for a tiny site.

I personally can't see any economic way of doing it, and health and safety would be a nightmare.

Incidently, the lower building by the railway was bought from receivers for the value of the unpaid VAT bill - about £40k! That just shows you how attractive the site is.

Edit... I found this website (http://www.sheffgens.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/batchelors/nost.html) that has some nice information on it in its heyday.

Shame things are never as simple as they seem :(

There is a siding a bit further down the line at the old steel factory up the slip road alongside Wadsley Bridge, which was used by the factory for unloading (they used to have a de-mobbed tank to tug the loose carriages back up onto the main line - I've got a piccy of my grandad driving the thing :) ).

I thought that maybe they could load the equipment there, and create a space to unload at the Batchelors site. It would only be a really short run (it's about 5ish minutes walk from the siding I mention to Bachelors along the track - not that i've ever trespassed on the railway you understand...) and the trains would encounter no bridges to go over or under on the short journey, but as you say, this is all taking into account that the railway line can take the strain of all that weight.

And also presuming that some company has the ability/will to do all this, and that the re-development of the buildings would even be worth the cost...


Armchair city planning is one thing. The real thing is much different eh!

So the prospects for the whole area look pretty grim, just going to be left to decay like other industrial sites. http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9692&highlight=hepworths

If the railway gets a new lease of life, http://www.donvalleyrailway.org/ surely this would generate interest in the site and attract development or some form of funding to clean up a former industrail area.

How would you go about finding out who owns what ?

Originally posted by zorba
So the prospects for the whole area look pretty grim, just going to be left to decay like other industrial sites. http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9692&highlight=hepworths

Well Hepworths and their decendants have been trying for years to pull this site through planning and have gone through all sorts of public meetings and the like. The problem is that the locals would rather see it become more derelict and stay contaminated rather than have 'incomers' moving into new homes on the site.

It's very sad, and an awful case of NIMBYism. There were some VERY good plans for creating a new village, but nahh.. the locals would rather let it rot.

I say reintroduce industry and jobs into the site!

Originally posted by zorba
If the railway gets a new lease of life, http://www.donvalleyrailway.org/ surely this would generate interest in the site and attract development or some form of funding to clean up a former industrail area.
You still have the logistical problems though :(

Originally posted by zorba
How would you go about finding out who owns what ? The Land Registry.

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

Is there no way that the developer’s interest in the Hepworth’s site could be re started.

If the plans provided some ecological and complementary features to the area then surely this would sway the locals, if not provide a good case for the developers. As in its current state it is nothing more than a dangerous eyesore that can only get worse and then what will the area look like?

Bovis now own the Hepworths site. If I was a betting man I wouldn't be surprised to see some planned development forthcoming on this site sometime early next year.

Its very easy to accuse the residents of nimbyism but in reality I think its more complicated than that. There are issues with traffic and schools. The schooling issues can probably be overcome, but I'm less sure about the problems with traffic.

The would expect the planning issues around this site to be quite complex, not only is it in the greenbelt but it is within sight of the Peak District National Park, it would also impact on the gentle introduction to areas of housing development that this area is treasured for.

I for one would welcome a return to industry on the site, or a mixed use development. With the caveat that all the above issues and other concerns to the community are addressed.

Originally posted by Tony

The buildings have been sold on in the last couple of years. Unfortunately, because of the hairpin at Birley Carr and the railway bridge lower down there is a major problem in redeveloping them because they have no road access for any sizable vehicles, and especially not cranes that would be needed to build anything new.


The old Bachelors site is now owned by Hague Plant Ltd.

I remember a few years back Clay Wheels lane used to be a hotspot for Joyriders to torch the cars once they had done with them.

Just wondering if anybody knows any more info about the article in the Telegraph.

Which said that Clay Wheels Lane had been sold and was to be re-developed in the next few months.

The development would consist of Offices and general business park facilities...

I have also heard that they plan to apply to connect with middlewood road...