Thousands of healthy trees in Sheffield were chopped down unnecessarily, according to an inquiry released today which also accused the City Council of lacking transparency and misleading the public.
The felling took place between 2016 and 2018 and led to daily angry confrontations between protesters and contractors in some of Sheffield’s leafiest middle-class suburbs.
A number of people were arrested during the long-running dispute including two pensioners and a middle-aged woman who was arrested for blowing a toy trumpet.
Head of the inquiry, Sir Mark Lowcock, who presented his findings in a live report on the council’s website, said: “Thousands of healthy and much-loved trees were lost, many more could have been.
“Sheffield’s reputation was damaged, public trust and confidence in the council was undermined and it has not been fully rebuilt. People on all sides suffered anxiety, stress injuries, wider physical and mental health problems and other harms which some continue to carry.”
Sheffield City Council acknowledged it got several things wrong in the handling of the street trees dispute and have reiterated their apologies.
It said: “We have taken huge steps already to ensure past mistakes are not repeated and we hope the release of this report will further help us to learn lessons as we move forward from the dispute”
The controversial decisions stemmed from a £2.2 billion contract which Sheffield City Council signed with infrastructure services contractor, Amey, in 2009 to resurface pothole-ridden roads and maintain roadside trees over a 25 year period.
The plan was to cut down dead, diseased, dying and dangerous trees but many healthy trees were also destroyed in the process.
The report said the public mood at the time was against the Council and protestors were met with a heavy police presence.
Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Sir Lowcock has made several recommendations regarding reconciliation and future risks but said: “Identifying a lesson is not the same as learning it”.
Photos take by Paul Selby
