Local Residents Object to Hostel Scheme in Darnall

Local residents met in Darnall this week to consider proposals for a new hostel for homeless people on a site in Waverley Road, Darnall. Fifty residents attended the meeting and agreed to launch an action group to work for the continued regeneration of Darnall by making sure that local developments are more appropriate to the area.

The meeting came up with a number of concerns about the scheme, such as its proximity to a local park where unaccompanied children go to play, the fact that it will have wardens during the day but not at night, doubts about who exactly will be allowed to live there and concerns that building a new hostel in Darnall may not be the best way to regenerate a neighbourhood which is already the most disadvantaged in the City according to the Council's own statistics.

Local resident Mrs Sylvia Hamilton said, 'This area has been getting steadily better for many years now. We would hate to see that progress put in jeopardy. We think what Darnall really needs is more social housing for ordinary families who cannot afford the price of starter homes which, even in Darnall, are completely out of their price range. We urge South Yorkshire Housing Association and the Council to think seriously about that alternative.'

Residents of Darnall are being urged by the group to write to SYHA, their local councillors and the planning department. Further information is available from the offices of Darnall Forum in the former Rose and Crown Public House, at 245 Main Road in Darnall.
ENDS