September 18th 2008
Dear Sir
I do not begrudge the Star its overdramatic headline (Greens want to halt New Retail Quarter plan, Aug 28th) or Cllr Anginotti her wish to shop at Harvey Nicholls, though most people I meet couldn’t afford it. But as Cabinet Member for Employment and Enterprise, she needs to explain exactly how the NRQ will create “thousands” of new jobs and how shopping miles will be saved. We fear that district centres will become even more run down, with the loss of jobs in local shops, and that the ring-road will be choked by cars going to the giant multi-storey car parks.
If the Green Party were in charge, we would ask Hammersons, will the NRQ have plenty of space for local shops and business as well as international chains? Will it protect our remaining historic buildings and the environment? Will it include affordable housing as well as luxury flats? We don’t want a “clone city” but a place which reflects everyone’s interests.
The Green Party, like Hammersons, recognises that we are facing the triple whammy of credit crunch, rising oil prices and climate change. The last thing we need is a half-hearted attempt to reduce costs, or a project which fails because it relied on bucking global economic trends. That is why we called for a “complete rethink” of the NRQ to fit it for the challenges ahead.
Yours
Cllr Jillian Creasy, Sheffield Green Party