Greenbelt campaigners vow to continue their fight in honour leader Sapphire who tragically died aged 39
The popular mum-of-two was the inspiration behind the campaign
A protest group angered at plans to build 1,700 new homes in the S13 postcode have vowed to continue the campaign in memory of their leader Sapphire McCarthy who tragically died aged 39 after a packed residents’ meeting she organised.
Much-loved Saph, a mother-of-two, launched a campaign against the scheme in April after it was discovered that Sheffield City Council had put forward controversial plans to build 1638 homes in two areas of greenbelt land in S13.
Last month (June 13) Sapphire organised a public meeting in conjunction with Clive Betts (MP Sheffield South East) - who is supporting the group - at Handsworth Social Club which was attended by Council leader Tom Hunt, two local ward councillors and 200 plus concerned residents.
After the meeting, Sapphire returned home, where she sadly passed away. Group members have now vowed to continue her work and have renamed the campaign group ‘Save S13 Greenbelt. The Sapphire McCarthy Campaign'.
Cheryl Hague, a resident and member of the group said: "We have struggled to come to terms with the fact our amazing leader Sapphire - amongst so many other roles of being a fantastic mother, wife, daughter and friend to so many people - sadly passed away after the meeting she helped organise for the good of this community.
"We feel we should respect her family and close friends with their time to grieve and hope you also share that respect and offer love and support.
"As a group we are all still struggling to take in what has happened but we will continue this fight with Sapphire in our hearts and we have renamed the group in tribute to our amazing friend.
"We miss her so much as she was a true inspiration who began this battle to save the green belt and we plan to continue to work even harder now to fulfill what she started and honour her and her family.
"We know she would be urging people to object to the plans and with the deadline for this looming on Friday we are asking people to do just that. We need to keep fighting the battle Sapphire started to help our community and we will do so - with more fire in our hearts than ever.”
Claire Pennington, another resident involved in the group said: "From the moment The Sheffield Star published details about the proposed Green Belt site within the Local Plan, Sapphire immediately grasped its implications—long before many of us had fully understood them.
"She recognized—not as a NIMBY protester, but with genuine insight—that the addition of nearly 2,000 homes within a one-mile stretch of S13, an area already grappling with severe oversubscription of secondary schools, dental care, medical services, nurseries, and more, would be devastating for our community. Without her vision and tireless dedication, we would not be where we are today.
"Sapphire understood that this plan was not just unfair to current residents—it threatened the very fabric of Sheffield families who want to continue living where they grew up, yet lack any assurances in the Local Plan to make that possible.
"Working tirelessly alongside the group, the wider S13 community, and Clive Betts MP, she helped shape a constructive, balanced, and fact-based campaign and objection to this part of the proposal.
"Sapphire was an inspirational and kind-hearted lady whose loss has left us all bereft. Yet we pledge to carry forward the mission she championed—to safeguard S13 and Sheffield more broadly by advocating for sensible, sustainable, and community-centered planning. We also remain committed to supporting her family, who were her world.
"We will honor Sapphire’s memory by ensuring that the campaign she poured her heart into continues with the conviction and compassion she exemplified."
The "Save S13 Greenbelt. The Sapphire McCarthy Campaign" group is urging residents to submit an objection as part of the local plan consultation which runs until Friday (July 11).
Last month residents produced a video using photographs they have taken on the Bramley site - which would see 868 homes built - which shows how the area is a vital area of green land for both residents and wildlife and has an abundance of nature.
The other proposed site is for 870 new homes on farmland off Finchwell Lane less than a mile away - and next to the new Waverley housing development which has already added pressures to existing services in the area.
Residents have accused the authority of being ‘grossly unfair’ going against the Government's own planning policy which encourages open discussion on such developments.
The group said the two sites represent one of the largest Green Belt incursions in Sheffield’s history, permanently erasing countryside that buffers the communities of Handsworth, Richmond, Stradbroke and Woodhouse and overwhelming the local infrastructure that is already failing to meet demand.
The group have a website Save S13 Greenbelt to keep people up to date on what is happening and have raised more than £6,500 so far to support any legal action going forward with a GoFundMe page which Sapphire set up.
The local plan - which is the blueprint for future development in the area - will then be considered by Government Planning Inspectors so it is vital residents ‘Have Their Say’.
The best way to make your feelings known is online at https://haveyoursay.sheffield.gov.uk/sheffield-plan.
You can also email sheffieldplan@sheffield.gov.uk.
Or send a letter to: Strategic Planning Team, Planning Service, 5th Floor, Howden House, Sheffield S1 2SH.
Resources to help you make an objection are available on the website.