Sheffield Hallam

HALLAM

SHEFFIELD

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

CONTENTS Crookes Dore Ecclesall Endcliffe Endcliffe Village Fulwood Greystones Peaks Stannington Conclusions The Sheffield Housing Conversations

11 19 25 31 37 43 49 55 61 66

INTRODUCTION For six weeks, masters students from the University of Sheffield have collaborated with South Yorkshire Housing Association on...

We saw housing rise to the top of the political agenda in 2015. The Sheffield Housing Conversations will provide platforms to discuss impacts and explore solutions by hearing about ideas, opinions and experiences of the issues surrounding housing.

The following booklet is an overview of our findings of the issues facing people in Sheffield Hallam ward.

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

BACKGROUND The following document contains information gathered during six weeks from 25th September 2017 to 3rd November 2017. It is an archival snapshot of the opinions, discussions and conversations which were recorded during this time. This document aims to highlight the key housing issues discussed by people across Sheffield, acting almost as an ethnographic piece of research in understanding the shared and learned patterns of values, behaviours and beliefs of a culture sharing group. We recorded 226 conversations during this period and we are aware that, as less than 1% of the population of Sheffield, our results and findings may be limited. We coded and indexed our dialogued information to draw out the common themes and trends, however we are conscious that as qualitative information, these are only opinions and not facts. As a group of 15 students, it is key to acknowledge that each of us are different and come with different experiences of housing and this may have influenced the conversations we had and thus the results which we gathered.

It is also important to explain the different colours used in the document and the corresponding theme: pink (connection), red (community), green (affordability), dark blue (issues around housing), light blue (environment) The Sheffield Housing Conversations

HALLAM SAFETY

OUTDOOR SPACES

SHORTAGE OF HOUSES AFFORDABILITY

GOOD COMMUNITY

DIVIDED CITY SAFETY

AMENITIES

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY LOCATION

OUTDOOR SPACES

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

SHEFFIELD

HALLAM

WHO DID WE SPEAK TO? S TUDENTS YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

35 PEOPLE

LIVING IN

FLATS TERRACED SEMI &

ADULTS RETIREES PRIVATE

HOUSES HOUSESHARES

RENTERS HOMEOWNERS

DETACHED The Sheffield Housing Conversations

& SOCIAL

HALLAM

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

C

SHEFFIELD

HALLAM WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

SAFE - 38%

OUTDOOR SPACES - 31%

GOOD COMMUNITY - 31%

DIVIDED CITY - 13%

£

AFFORDABILITY - 31%

HOUSING SHORTAGE - 31% The Sheffield Housing Conversations

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

CROOKES SHEFFIELD HALLAM

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

THERE’S A GREAT

ENERGY & ATMOSPHERE

COMMUNITY

STRONG

we love...

LOCAL AMENITIES

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

HOMES

AFFORDABILITY

BUILD MORE

WE NEED TO

SHEFFIELD IS A

DIVIDED

CITY

we’d like to change...

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

WHAT ARE PEOPLE

SAYING?

“Young people are being priced off the housing ladder everywhere in the UK, including Sheffield. My son is 30 and still lives with me because he

can’t afford a deposit “I don’t go to town very often, I prefer it here. It’s nice and it has everything I need. There’s a shortage of smaller homes for older people to move into, so they stay in big houses, which means young families find it hard to find good places to live. Freehold and leasehold schemes are a very big problem. It doesn’t affect me personally, but I know a lot of other people in Sheffield are very affected by this. Right to buy is another issue. It was a big mistake. It’s making more houses more expensive.”

“I’ve lived in Crookes for the past few years, I moved here as a student and never left! I love all the trees, and the high street is great. There’s such a great selection of shops and cafes and restaurants, and the atmosphere is great”

THE ATMOSPHERE IS GREAT

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

yet! I want to help him out, so I’m trying to sell the house I privately rent out. Currently there’s a single mother who lives there with mental health issues.

I’m worried what will happen to her when I do sell, as lots of private landlords won’t let to people on benefits. I’m trying to find a local estate agent who can help me out but I’m not having any luck at the moment!”

“I’m very involved in local politics, so I know quite a bit about what’s going on in Sheffield. It’s interesting that you’re asking about a housing crisis in Sheffield, usually people are just talking about London or the UK! There’s definitely not enough affordable housing, which is the key issue! The government is not doing enough, they aren’t giving enough money to councils who might be able to do something. Sheffield has a great history of innovation to draw on. I was born in quite a deprived northern part of the city before I moved here. Sheffield is a very divided city, and the housing crisis is definitely disproportionately affecting the poorer areas. The North and East of Sheffield are suffering a lot more than places like Crookes!”

THERE’S A REALLY STRONG COMMUNITY “They need to build more houses in Sheffield, just not on the greenbelt! We need to make more use of the brownfield sites. Crookes is lovely, it’s just like a village. It has its own amenities and a really strong community. It’s a lovely place to live, and I have a great view of the countryside from my garden.

Students have a long history of living here too!

Recently, more restaurants and other things for them have started opening up for them. It’s good to have them (the students) around, as they bring a great energy to the place!”

SHEFFIELD IS A DIVIDED CITY The Sheffield Housing Conversations

“I live in a semidetached house which I own. I’ve lived in Sheffield for 64 years. I do think there’s a housing crisis in Sheffield, much like the rest of the country. It’s everywhere you go.

The west side of Sheffield is lovely, there’s lots of amenities and the transport is alright too. It’s quite a well maintained area.

I think we need

more starter homes, it was

much easier for people to buy their first home when I was young. We really need more

social housing

too. I think we should also tax people with lots of properties, and stop multiple ownership of them too.”

THE ATMOSPHERE IS GREAT “Wheelie bins are such a problem here.

They clutter up the street and make it look so untidy, and take up the pavement space which can make it quite difficult for people to get around here. Other than that, it’s a really lovely area, lots of lovely big trees and green spaces. The local community is quite active too, which is great”

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

“I live in a flat I rent from a housing association. Landlords and rental agents rip you off, there’s almost no regulation, so they can do whatever they want.

It’s too expensive to buy, but rent is more than a mortgage! It makes so little sense. Parking round here is a big issue, it’s so hard to find a space and people fill up all the roads that are outside the permit zone. There are amazing independent shops though, and good community spirit - people are always helping each other out”

OUTDOOR SPACES

GOOD COMMUNITY

GOOD ATMOSPHERE

DIVIDED CITY

HOUSING SHORTAGE

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

DORE SHEFFIELD HALLAM

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

GREEN SPACE

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

COMMUNITY

NICE

THERE’S A GREAT

& QUIET

SAFE

we love...

PARK MORE IS A BIT WE NEED TO BUILD

THE

PUBLIC HOUSING IS EXPENSIVE

HOUSING DATED we’d like to change...

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

WHAT ARE PEOPLE

SAYING? “I have great neighbours, and Dore is a

lovely place

to live. It looks nice, and it’s

clean and safe.

The transport is great too! I used to live in social housing for a long time, but now I own my home because of the right to buy scheme. It feels a lot more secure to own my own home now, and I feel very lucky that I can afford to!”

“I’m not really sure if there’s a housing crisis. I’m not really aware of anyone who might be affected by it...

I don’t know anyone who has any issues with housing really.

Dore is lovely.

There are lots of nice green spaces, but the park equipment is quite dated.

It’s good to be so close to the

countryside though.”

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

“I own my house, and I’ve lived in Sheffield on and off for all my life. I think there’s a housing crisis, but I’m aware it doesn’t affect me. There’s been so many cuts to the council’s budget in recent years that make it harder and harder to make an impact. It’s put Sheffield at a crossroads, and I don’t know how it’s going to move forwards.

I think there needs to be more public housing in Sheffield, but I don’t know whether it should be on brownfield or green belt sites. Kelham Island is a really interesting example of how quickly there can be a turnaround on brownfield land.

That said, there’s definitely an argument for building on parts of the greenbelt...

It’s a difficult issue! The University plays a huge role in the economics of the City too, but I don’t know why Sheffield hasn’t moved forward like other northern University cities.”

SAFE

OUTDOOR SPACE

NOT ENOUGH HOUSING

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

ECCLESALL SHEFFIELD HALLAM

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

SAFE

LOTS OF TREES AND

GREEN SPACE

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

GOOD TRANSPORT

GREAT AREA

we love...

TOO MANY STUDENTS

BUSY ROADS & POLLUTION

MORE ACCESSIBLE

HOUSING we’d like to change...

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

WHAT ARE PEOPLE

SAYING? “It’s a great area to live, I love my neighbourhood.

The houses are a good standard, but we definitely need more social housing. It would be good if there was

more accessible housing too, as I

know that can be an issue. I guess the nature of the beast that makes it hard to mix high quality housing with social housing, as more expensive housing only pushes the price of the area up.”

“I rent a flat here, and have done for the last 20 years! I’ve lived all my life in Sheffield though. There are

too many students

here, and the council direct all their efforts towards them. All the new homes that are built are for students, there’s just too many of them unfortunately. This means there’s a lack of supply of houses for the rest of us! The town centre is emptying out too, which means more and more people are driving to Meadowhall or Crystal peaks to do their shopping. It’s a shame.”

“I’ve owned my home for a long time. The area is quite polluted as there’s lots of traffic. The area is nice though, better than most! The green spaces are my favourite, and I feel safe round here. It’s well connected to Derbyshire, and there’s really good transport around here.

Places like Kelham Island are the slums of the future. There’s just too many blocks of flats in such a tight space, and they all look onto each other. Younger people and students don’t mind it as it’s only temporary, but for the rest of us it’s permanent.”

THERE ARE TOO MANY STUDENTS The Sheffield Housing Conversations

SAFE

GOOD TRANSPORT

OUTDOOR SPACES

NOT ENOUGH HOUSES

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

ENDCLIFFE SHEFFIELD HALLAM

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

AREA

FRIENDLY

LOTS OF TREES AND

GREEN SPACE

NICE

EVERYONE IS

we love...

GOOD LOCATION

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

TOO

EMPTY

STUDENTS

HOUSES

NOT VERY

MIXED

STUDENT MANY we’d like to change...

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

WHAT ARE PEOPLE

SAYING? “We live near to the Botanical gardens, which are lovely.

Our house is great, it’s big and has really high ceilings and a proper bathroom. The bedroom is a really good size too, and the house is nice and warm. Some houses in Sheffield can get so cold in the winter! The location is most important to me, definitely. It’s good to be in such a

great, friendly area, close to so

much other stuff!”

“I’m worried about all the student houses in the area. A lot of them are empty and there are a lot of ‘to let’ and ‘for sale’ signs around here, especially towards Broomhill.

Students are moving into these purpose built developments, but I’m a bit worried about what happens to all the student houses round here now! It could really affect the area if the trend continues.”

“I’ve not lived here long, but the area I live in has a lot of students in. Even the houses that didn’t used to have students in them are being sold to landlords who only let students live there. This means there isn’t much balance in the surrounding community, which is a shame. It would be good if there was a bit more of a mix of people living here.”

THERE’S SUCH A STRONG COMMUNITY The Sheffield Housing Conversations

“I stayed in Sheffield after studying here at university. I’ve owned my home since 1992. I’m part of the Endcliffe Corner Community Organisation, and I feel like my

voice is definitely listened to, as the

area is full of lots of educated middle class people people. It’s a nice area - Sharrowvale road is lovely and has definitely changed for the better over the past 20 years.”

OUTDOOR SPACES

GOOD COMMUNITY

HOUSING SHORTAGE

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

ENDCLIFFE VILLAGE SHEFFIELD HALLAM

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

BROOMHILL

NICE & GREEN

PROXIMITY TO

A CONVENIENT PLACE TO LIVE

we love...

WELL CONNECTED

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

DISCONNECTED THE SHOPS ARE

FAR AWAY

THERE’S A LOT OF

HOMELESSNESS

IN THE AREA we’d like to change...

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

WHAT ARE PEOPLE

SAYING? “I don’t think there is much of a housing crisis in Sheffield... I live in halls, which is really nice. There’s lots of other people around and there are lots of nice green spaces. I don’t really spend much time in Broomhill, except when I come to the shops or walk through on my way to the university, but it seems nice and the shops are convenient. It’s also really easy to get the bus from here!”

“I like where I live, there’s a massive kitchen and living room, so my friends can come over. It’s quiet, and the shared garden is really great, but I have to walk at least 10 minutes to the nearest shop! ”

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

“I live in halls, so I feel a bit disconnected from the ‘real world’ as it’s a bit of a bubble.

I try to spend time in other places though, I especially love Broomhill. The cafes are great and it seems a little bit quirky, which I love!

I’ve seen a lot of homeless people around in Broomhill and in the city centre too, so I’d say there are probably some issues with housing in Sheffield.

There’s definitely a housing crisis in England, it’s always on the news!”

“I’m originally from Leeds, but I much prefer Sheffield!

It’s a lot nicer and more chilled out.

Broomhill is really nice, it feels well connected and the shops are really useful. I’m not really sure if there’s much of a housing crisis, but I’ve seen a lot of homeless people around Sheffield, especially around the city centre, but there’s a quite a few here in Broomhill, too.”

GOOD TRANSPORT

OUTDOOR SPACES

HOMELESSNESS

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

FULWOOD SHEFFIELD HALLAM

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

ACTIVE COMMUNITY

CLOSE TO

PLACE

NICE

we love...

THE PEAKS

WELL

CONNECTED

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

HOMELESSNESS IS AN ISSUE IN ACROSS SHEFFIELD

THERE IS A SHEFFIELD

IS VERY HIGH DEMAND DEPRIVED FOR HOMES

IN PARTS

SOME HOUSES ARE POOR QUALITY

we’d like to change...

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

WHAT ARE PEOPLE

SAYING? “I live in Fulwood, just around the corner from here. It’s so well connected, I can easily get into the city centre or the Peak District which is great for cycling.

There’s definitely a housing crisis going on right now, but it definitely doesn’t affect me or anyone I know. Sheffield is a very deprived city in some parts.”

“I own a beautiful semidetached house nearby. I’m not sure whether there is a housing crisis here, I think it depends what you mean by a ‘housing crisis’. There is a lot of very poor quality housing here… for instance in the Gleadless area.

In some other areas, there is a lot of homelessness, or high demand for housing”

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

“We all live locally, we’re just waiting for a taxi home as I can’t walk long distances any more. There’s a great

sense of community

around where we live”

“I wouldn’t say there’s a housing crisis in Sheffield, I think there are probably enough houses for everyone, although I’m not sure as it doesn’t really affect me!”

“I’m not sure either, I think some people do have a lot of issues with housing, so maybe there is a crisis? If there is, then it doesn’t affect me as me and my husband own our home” “Fulwood is a very nice place to live though, it’s so well connected”

OUTDOOR SPACES

GOOD COMMUNITY

GOOD TRANSPORT

DIVIDED CITY

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

GREYSTONES

SHEFFIELD HALLAM

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

SCHOOLS

GOOD

we love...

NICE PEAKS CLOSE TO THE

& PARKS AREA WELL CONNECTED

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

NOT ENOUGH PARKING

LOTS OF CARS

THE HOUSES ARE

SMALL

EXPENSIVE we’d like to change...

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

WHAT ARE PEOPLE

SAYING? “I came to Sheffield from Jamaica when I was 11. When I was a bit older I lived on Ecclesall road for a while until I bought a house in Greystones.

It’s a really nice area with good schools.

My only complaint would be that there are so many cars around me parked all over the road, but it doesn’t affect me too much, I just feel sorry for all my neighbours who it does affect. It’s great to be so close to the parks, I think Endcliffe park is my favourite.”

“My house is a very old house, I think it was built in 1875. Housing issues around here are definitely a lack of social housing, and landlords ripping people off with very expensive rents!

We need to build a lot more homes, especially council homes that are available to more people”

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

THERE ARE SO MANY CARS “The houses round here are mostly quite small, I think I’m going to have to move away as it’s so hard to find

somewhere for the whole family. I really like it round here, it’s so well connected

into the city centre as well as the peak district. There are so many cars around here though, and so few houses have driveways so they’re always all over the road”.

OUTDOOR SPACES

LOCATION

NOT ENOUGH HOUSING

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

PEAK DISTRICT

SHEFFIELD HALLAM

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

REGENERATION

IN SHEFFIELD

COMMUNITY

GOOD TO SEE

VILLAGE

we love...

GREEN SPACE The Sheffield Housing Conversations

ARE BEING BUILT

ONLY HOUSES

THERE’S NOT ENOUGH

HOUSING

TO GO ROUND

EXPENSIVE we’d like to change...

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

WHAT ARE PEOPLE

SAYING? “I think there’s a housing crisis in Sheffield, although it doesn’t affect me directly. I’ve been lucky, but also worked very hard to get where I am now. I own my house in a lovely little village in the peak district, with a great community.

Nothing’s been built for 25 years round here really. Everything is very expensive for first time buyers, but there are a lot of two up two down houses in Sheffield, which are more affordable. What I’m really worried about is when my daughter here comes to buy a house.

She’s only seven now, so who knows what the price of housing will be like by then!

Some of the few houses built are flats… they seem international, but that seems quite good really, it’s good to see regeneration happening in Sheffield, I think it will really improve some areas.”

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

GREAT VILLAGE COMMUNITY “I’m renting at the moment, but I’d really like to buy a house soon. There’s just not enough houses available really! Where I live at the moment is quite desirable, so prices are quite high. There’s quite a lot of development going on now which is good, but it worries me as they’re starting to build on green land. It also puts pressure on local doctors, schools and traffic, as they just build houses, nothing else.”

GOOD COMMUNITY

OUTDOOR SPACE

NOT ENOUGH HOUSING

£

AFFORDABILITY

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

STANNINGTON SHEFFIELD HALLAM

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

QUIET

NICE &

we love...

LOTS OF TREES

FRIENDLY COMMUNITY The Sheffield Housing Conversations

DOWNHILL

GOING

TO FIND HOUSES

THE AREA IS

HOMELESSNESS IS AN ISSUE IN ACROSS SHEFFIELD

DIFFICULT

we’d like to change...

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

WHAT ARE PEOPLE

SAYING?

“It’s very difficult to find houses here. Some big families have to live in very small houses which are very crowded because it’s so hard to find houses. There’s a big difference in housing across Sheffield though.

Some are in very good condition, but others, less so. Stannington used to be a lot nicer, but it’s going downhill now. The people here are still very friendly, which I like”

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

IT’S NICE & QUIET HERE

“There’s definitely a housing crisis in Sheffield, there are a lot of homeless people. The issue is that not enough people are buying houses, and choosing to rent them instead. I own my house, so I’m ok.

It’s nice and quiet around here, a good place to live”

“I’m very happy with where I live. There are a lot of trees, and usually the area is nice and quiet.

It’s safe too. I know others aren’t so lucky, some places aren’t as nice as here, and are more expensive!”

ATMOSPHERE

OUTDOOR SPACE

NOT ENOUGH HOUSING

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

SHEFFIELD

HALLAM

WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE? divided city

People in Hallam were aware of Sheffield being a but the area itself had problems with affordability and a lack of social housing. People in Sheffield Hallam constituency enjoyed the safety, outdoor space and sense of community. What emerged from conversations with the constituents of Hallam, was that despite it’s great location, good community and integration of students, there was seemingly a lack of social housing and genuinely affordable housing. Thus, like Sheffield Central, Hallam’s housing market isn’t accessible.

WHAT CAN WE PROPOSE?

A solution would be for the local housing authorities to push the agenda of building more social housing on the council and MP for Hallam. There is now a difficulty, due to more expensive houses in Hallam driving the price of the area up, in mixing high quality housing with social housing due to an inflated market in the area.

The local MP needs to address this in the face of a demand for more social and affordable housing.

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

WHAT CAN WEHallam CONCLUDE? Central

People in more affluent wards, in and , acknowledge that Sheffield is a divided city. However, no one from less affluent wards in South-East and Hillsborough & Brightside areas made comments about Sheffield being divided. Does this suggest that those in positions of comfort have the luxury of seeing what the problems are and those who are affected by housing issues struggle to identify that there is a wider issue?

Only people in Heeley cited housing as a positive of their area. The positives of most constituencies were regarding community and location. Should councils be taking more pride in the care and service of housing?

Hallam, Central, Heeley all are perceived as having issues with

affordability of housing.

Hallam, Central and Hillsborough & Brightside are all perceived to have a shortage of housing supply.

Generally, we found that despite people thinking the housing crisis doesn’t affect them, they then unconsciously proceed to list reasons that they are being affected by the housing crisis. They cited issues of not having access to affordable housing, not being enough houses and there not being enough quality housing.

Essentially people don’t know what the housing crisis really is.

The Sheffield Housing Conversations

The Sheffield Housing Conversations