The Trust is pleased to announce that following a well-supported public campaign it has secured agreement from Waitrose/John Lewis to the following Porter Brook-related improvements at its store on Ecclesall Road Sheffield.

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• An access and viewing area will be created adjoining the exposed Porter Brook at the bottom of Cemetery Road which should complement the City Council’s planned Connecting Sheffield improvements

• Three new interpretive boards about the history of the Porter Brook, one at the Cemetery Road viewing area and two in the store’s car park

• Waymarkers in the surface of the car park showing the course of the ‘hidden’ Porter Brook below

• A £3,000 contribution to the planned restoration of the habitat of the Porter Brook by the Trust and the Environment Agency

• In principle agreement to allow the emerging Porter Brook Trail to extend through part of their car park subject to a similar agreement from the owner of adjoining Liv Student Apartments on Harrow St.

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The Trust is also in dialogue with the manager of the local store about joint activities with staff in the coming year.

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Alex Barlow one of the Trust’s team who negotiated the improvements says ‘We are satisfied that Waitrose have now bought into the Trust’s vision for a more naturalised and accessible river which can also become a positive feature of their site. This would not have happened without the swift and powerful actions of our supporters who registered over 80 objections to the original proposal for which we are very grateful. We can now advise them to withdraw these objections and look forward to working with the store to achieve all that

we have agreed’

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The Planning reference is

21/00494/FUL