City to take legal action against protesters in row over tree-felling programme

Sheffield City Council has said it has “no alternative” but to bring legal proceedings against certain individuals protesting against its controversial tree replacement programme.

According to a report on the BBC, one of the authority’s councillors – Alison Teal of the Green Party – is among those affected by the legal action.

In a pre-action protocol letter the council said it was looking to obtain a civil injunction and damages.

Cllr Bryan Lodge, Cabinet Member for Environment and Street Scene at Sheffield, said: “The majority of people protesting against tree replacements are doing so in a peaceful and lawful way. However, a handful of the protestors are unlawfully disrupting the work and putting the safety of the workforce, the public and themselves at risk.

“Following months of unlawful and costly disruption to street tree replacement works across the city by a small number of tree protestors, the council now has no alternative but to consider legal remedies to ensure these works can be completed. This is never a position we wanted to be in but we know from our surveys and contact with the public that only a small proportion of the residents across the city disagree with the work we are carrying out.”

Cllr Lodge added: “We continue to support the right to peacefully protest, and the majority of protestors who are doing so peacefully will not be affected. But there is a big difference between this and direct action which deliberately and unlawfully stops works from being carried out.

“Despite issuing representatives of the tree protestor group a letter several weeks ago confirming that their actions remain unlawful, works continue to be disrupted, causing city-wide delays to the programme and against the wishes of residents.”

He said the council hoped that by pursuing civil legal remedies, those involved in disrupting tree works would recognise the implications of their actions and allow the highway operations to be implemented.

“The legal process is designed to give the protestors a chance to further and finally consider their position before an application is made to court. Streets Ahead is not just about street trees - it’s about ensuring we have roads, pavements and a street scene to be proud of for many years to come. In addition, it presents us with a unique opportunity to sustainably manage, increase and maintain our diverse street tree stock over a 25-year period,” Cllr Lodge added.

In March 2016 the High Court lifted an injunction that had prohibited Sheffield City Council and its contractor Amey from felling trees as part of the Streets Ahead project.