Letter in Sheffield Telegraph

I wrote this letter to the Sheffield Telegraph last week when I first heard about Portland Works. Since then I've found out a lot more and I'd like to help with the Campaign. The letter is printed in the 26 November issue - here's the text for those of you unlucky enough to live out Sheffield!

Dear Editor

I was privileged last week to visit Portland Works on Randall Street, as part Sheffield's splendid 'Galvanised' Festival. Few of us in Sheffield perhaps realise what an extraordinary place this is, one of a few surviving complexes of workshops near the city centre which is still. unbelievably, occupied by traditional craftsmen and manufacturers of tools, still in business doing things the way that made Sheffield famous. To see steel being forged, ground and polished into fine and useful tools, and to see the work of a master knife maker, made me proud to live in Sheffield. To see a gentleman, Ray I believe he's called, forging steel as he has done for his working life of sixty years is humbling.

Despite the building's appearance - it seems at first sight to be in advanced decay - it is almost fully occupied by working craftspeople, as well as representatives of a more recent industry, rock bands, who use the space for rehearsals. Having now experienced the sounds of a spring forge at full throttle, I'd say they were well matched.

This is living heritage, not a museum or polished up piece of preserved past. Such a place ought to be treasured by the City, the skills of its occupants valued and perhaps passed on to a new generation through training schemes, and the entire works earmarked for much needed maintenance, possibly even with public funding, to ensure the continuation of these fine and useful commercial activities. I was stunned to hear that plans are well advanced to clear out the existing occupants and convert the building - grade 2* listed - into FLATS. Obviously the existing businesses would be incompatible with residential use. Equally obvious is that some of these businesses may not survive the move. Readers may recall seeing something about this last February.

We have lost so many of these places, many due to disuse and the collapse of manufacturing in Sheffield. Most have been demolished, some have survived to become offices and, yes, flats. And they make very nice flats too I'm sure. But here we are in 2009 and here's a bit of the 19th century still doing what it was built for. This is not sentimentality, this is ensuring the survival of essential skills in manufacturing and providing futures for younger people in our traditional industries and crafts.

I now find the planning application is in again, with a deadline of 10 December, City reference 08/01850/FUL. Is anyone out there doing anything about this? If so can I join you? And if not can we start doing something very soon?