Council could finally fit bollard for pedestrian area after 13-year wait

A Sheffield man who says he has been trying for 13 years to get a pedestrian area reinstated may finally have got his wish.

David Lipka said he has been frustrated by a series of promises made by Sheffield Council to do something about the precinct outside the Zest Centre, in Upperthorpe.

He said the area was closed off to traffic to make an area where people enjoyed sitting and socialising until a car knocked over one of the bollards.

Vehicles have long taken advantage of the gap to use the area to park in, said Mr Lipka. He said a tree has also been damaged by drivers manoeuvring and had to be replaced several times and a bench was destroyed.

A bench that was put up around the tree by a local person was also taken down, he said.

Mr Lipka, who has been pursuing the issue since 2011, said he cannot understand why the work has not been done to replace the bollard as the money is already available. He said it adds to a feeling that the area has been neglected or ignored by the council.

A council spokesperson said a plan is now under way to install a new bollard.

Mr Lipka said: “I’ve been to Cabinet in the Community, community assemblies and LACs (Local Area Committees).

" I’ve been to all those meetings and stood up and been told by politicians ‘this is a really important area for us’, they are caring for the environment.

“I’ve had meetings with councillors going back to (former council leader) Julie Dore. It’s almost like the people of Upperthorpe don’t matter.”

He said there is £60,000 earmarked for the precinct in the Community Infrastructure Levy, a pot of money levied by councils on developers in order to pay for community improvements, and said if the area was made safe again, people would once more gather for a chat and enjoy being outdoors.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Upperthorpe precinct is well used by lots of people.

"A plan is being developed to make the precinct safer for pedestrians by limiting vehicle access by installing a new bollard.”