Pollution fears over shopping centre

PLANS WILL be discussed today for a £300m leisure hall at the Meadowhall shopping complex in Sheffield.

The scheme, which has been recommended for approval by council officers, will be debated by a Sheffield Council planning committee.

Green Party councillors have claimed the proposed extension at Meadowhall will lead to more premature deaths caused by pollution. A report accepts that air quality will get worse, adding a year to the timescale to meet targets set for the area, which is already one of the worst pollution blackspots in Sheffield.

Officers say the overall benefits of the extension outweigh the “significant concern” of increased pollution, although Green Party councillors have claimed the plans are unacceptable.

Eamonn Ward, a member of the Sheffield Green Party who objected to the planning application, said: “We know how popular Meadowhall is and recognise the arguments for job creation but increased air pollution deaths linked to major developments are not an acceptable price to pay.”

Meadowhall co-owner British Land has agreed to spent millions of pounds improving the roads around the site. Council officers said the plans showed traffic flows would actually improve with the infrastructure work even with more cars on the road. The council also says the phasing-out of high-polluting vehicles should improve air quality.

Mr Watson said: “Sheffield can’t just make road changes to allow expansion in the east end knowing that it will worsen the current public health crisis.”