Sheffield faces a conflict between residential development and sports infrastructure as builder Harron Homes proposes housing on a Handsworth site that has been used for football and cricket. The England and Wales Cricket Board, Football Foundation, and Sport England have objected, citing an acute shortage of available pitches across the city.

Officials point to Sheffield's 2022 Playing Pitch Strategy, which identified significant deficits in cricket and football pitches, with existing sites heavily overused. Handsworth Cricket Club, which previously played at the site before relocating in the 2000s, now faces restricted access at its current venue. Sports bodies recommend either reinstating the site for cricket use or funding alternative sports facilities elsewhere as a condition of permitting the housing development.