coppernut

My son's car has now been written off as the repairs were going to cost over £4000. There wasn't a mark on it until it was vandalised on Saturday.

At least eight cars were vandalised yesterday afternoon (24th September). Damages included wing mirrors snapped off, tyres slashed, windows smashed, dints made and paintwork scratched. Thousands of pounds of damaged caused but not only that - the disruption to lives. One lady with a young child stranded because the tyres had been slashed. Did anyone see anything?

The proposed plans and the leaflet sent out make the plan look good, but remember what was promised across the road at the tip. They promised jobs and a park that people would be able to enjoy. In reality they felled the trees and left them where they fell - losing habits and leaving an eyesore. The scouts have lost thousands of pounds in lost revenue - so much for making money for the area and providing jobs. The work is not due to start now until the price of coal increases enough for recycoal to make a profit - at the moment there is only one way the price is going and that is down! What will happen if they build the motorway services? How many of you have sat in the evening traffic waiting to get into Chapeltown - will be much worse with the hundreds of cars per hour they expect to use it. There will be extra pollution in the area. Some heavy good vehicles have trouble turning the corner from Nether Lane into Cowley Hill and getting up the hill when having to stop at the lights. This will be made worse with extra traffic trying to get out of the services to rejoin the motorway having to cross over Cowley Hill - I presume they will have to put more traffic lights at the top of the hill. How many schools are going to go and use the woods (as per the information leaflet)? They also draw the tip area as the proposed hesley wood park (Will it ever happen). How can they open up all of the woods when some are privately owned? As with the tip, the plans make the development sound good, but it doesn't point out how the public live with the consequences of the development. As usual it is all about profit but at what cost?

At the public meeting last week the company say they are estimating that 500-600 vehicles an hour will use the service station facilities. A proportion of which will be HGVs (i think they said approx 8%). The work is due to start early next year at the same time that recycoal will be extracting the coal - another 60 HGVs. Also there are plans for a 4th lane on the motorway in the area. You will be lucky to get into Chapeltown, particularly as there is often a queue all the way back to Nether Lane at rush hour. They are going to adapt the exit from the motorway - the entrance will be where the cars park now on the left hand side. Vehicles will also have to get across Cowley Hill to exit the services. Then of course there is HS2. JOY!

Have sent you a private message Redcatt

What a shame. There are a few councillors I'd like replacing at the moment! Is that why they are making lots of controversial decisions, because they cannot be voted off? Cannot wait for next year.

How many times do people need telling the plan is not to remove the contaminants but to cap them. However some of the contaminants will get into the air whilst the reclamation is taking place, travel up to 3 miles in radius from the site and may cause serious health problems (cancer, asthma, chronic depression, low birth rate, low birth weight etc). As I have said before on this site, even the chief medical officer voiced his concerns to the council but they would not listen and I for one would rather believe him than a company who is only interested in money. I cannot believe the lack of concern by residents about the risks involved with this site. Although I must admit at first I thought it was a good idea until I looked at the facts. Read the planning application it states the contaminants on the site and what RecyCoal are going to do. Also research the health effects of PM10 and PM2.5 particles. It is all about money!

They are cutting the trees down now - this is supposed to be completed by the first of March to make sure the birds cannot breed. So I would have thought work would start soon after that but the wash plant has to be built first.

The contaminants on the tip include arsenic, asbestos, benzo parazenes - there is a list on the planning application made by RecyCoal and how they are going to cap them rather than remove them. Also there is a potential risk to residents, within a 3 mile radius of the site, from the air borne dust particles. The risks identified from the dust include COPD, Chronic depression, low birth weight, lower birth rates and cancer. The director of public health in Sheffield, Dr Jeremy Wight has written to the council about his concerns of the potential health risk to the residents, but it made no difference.

If the site is so poor why do Sheffield university ecology department take their students there to see the prime example of stage 2 regeneration. The site has regenerated so well that oak trees are now growing. There are thousands of trees up there which are to be felled. RecyCoal identify that they need to remove 18000 trees before they can start any reclamation work. As for the quality of the trees that is an excuse in order to cut them down. The new saplings will not have much chance of growing as they are not putting any topsoil on the site to enable them to grow. I have seen recent photographs of the grimethorpe site - the restoration is pathetic. As for pollution the site is heavily contaminated and there are no plans to remove them just bury them a little deeper for future generations.

Has anyone from Chapeltown got a job on the tip? The men up there cutting the trees down are from a company based in Doncaster and RecyCoal stated their experienced workers would be reclaiming the coal - so no new jobs then! The only people to benefit are ReycyCoal! As for the country park they promised, which won them the planning application - I wouldn't call 12 - 18 inch high saplings a country park. I am waiting for the tip to slide as happened in Doncaster. Many people will not know that Hesley tip slid in May 1956, causing the fields around Cowley farm to be flooded to a depth of 8 foot. What will happen when the tree roots are no longer there to absorb the moisture and hold the land together? Some things are better left alone. It maybe a "manky pile of old slag" but there are many dangers with changing it.

Last year they did classes at The Venue in Stocksbridge.

You are right it is people car sharing. Not for much longer if recycoal get the go ahead to reclaim coal from the land there. If the planning permission is given that part of the road is to be yellow lined.

I would like to thank the staff and management of Lime Trees care home for the care they have provided to my friend over the last year. I have always found the home to be clean and the staff very welcoming and caring. My friend was very happy there. The home has been forced to close after allegations of abuse were made. This has meant over 40 elderly people have been forced to find new homes within a few days and many people have lost their jobs. I cannot understand why the home could not have remained open now that the alleged abusers have been sacked. Would any other business close because there had been a case of abuse? Would a hospital close if there had been a case of abuse, a school, a police station, a children's care home? Many of the elderly people had formed attachments to the carers. My friend was very upset when she had to leave and is now completely confused. It is heartbreaking to see her so distressed.

They are not removing the contaminates because it would be expensive and eat into their profits! Also what are the public expecting of the nature park? The representative from Recycoal stated that they would not be bringing topsoil onto the site. So the landscape will be like it is now only 30 years of growth, habitat and wildlife lost.