Proposed M1 J35 Service Station on Smithy Wood
This page contains past posts of the Ecclesfield Conservation Group on the proposed motorway service station at Smithy Wood. For the current situation, please see our home page by clicking on Ecclesfield Conservation and Local History Group.

Some of the information and links might be out of date, however the posts are retained to give a history of the Conservation Group's involvement in the issue
17th April (Thursday) at 11 am at Cowley Hill entrance to Smithy Wood,

People are gathering to show the developers what local people think of the proposal to concrete over an ancient woodland for a Motorway Service Station, rather than use one of the many brown field sites available.
Our chairman and several members of the Ecclesfield Conservation Group will therefore be attending, as we hope will be our local MP, and other community representatives.
Proposed new M1 Junction 35 Motorway Services
As discussed at our meeting of 16th September 2013, we submitted the Conservation Group's response to the proposer's invitation to comment on the Motorway Service Area on Smithy Wood.
The comments were made after we had considered the material kindly provided to us by the "Pegasus Group", and after our chairman had attended both the exhibition set up by the proposers at Ecclesfield School, and the following meeting of the Cowley Residents Action Group. Our response was also informed by the document from Professor Mel Jones detailing the history of Smithy Wood, which concluded with considerable concern about the effect on this damaged ancient woodland, of both the motorway service station and the HS2 proposals (See below).
Meeting at 7pm on 2nd October 2013
Prior making a further response to any planning application that might be submitted, the Woodland Trust has set up a meeting at 19:00 on Wednesday October 2nd 2013 in the Newton Hall, Cowley Lane, Chapeltown. Click to see the Woodland Trust poster. The woodland trust have also set up a petition and blog which anybody can contribute to. Also The Wildlife Trust for Sheffield have some interesting information, and Ian Rotherham has wrote about the issues in The Star on 14th September, and also on his Blog. There is also an "e-petition against a service station on Smithy Wood.
Interestingly, the Government is consulting on whether developers should compensate for destruction of bio-diversity.
The previous 1995 application for a service station on the Thorpe Hesley side of Smithy Wood was rejected, partly because the land was meant to be part of our Green Belt.