‘Europe’s greenest city’ has lost 5,000 trees, chopped down by a private company despite furious local protests, and even Michael Gove calls the destruction ‘bonkers’, but now the chainsaws are about to start their work again, reports the Guardian.
The Guardian writes:
Sheffield’s tree protesters, members of local groups coordinated by the Sheffield Tree Action Groups (Stag), which are at the heart of a dramatic story of local government gone wrong. They have made it their mission to protect the trees from council-backed felling crews in what is often hailed, with a pinch of Yorkshire hyperbole, as Europe’s greenest city.
The fellings are part of a 25-year, £2.2bn PFI contract. Signed in 2012 between the Labour-led council and a private company, Amey, the Streets Ahead programme is intended to upgrade ‘the condition of our city’s roads, pavements, streetlights, bridges …’ – no small feat in a place that was known as ‘pothole city’…..
The contract has serious implications for the city’s 36,000 roadside trees, which have in effect been privatised until the late 2030s. Amey, a subsidiary of the massive Spanish company Ferrovial, has so far removed around 5,350, including oaks, elms and limes…
‘… The fellings were paused at the end of January, so Butt could ‘evaluate the safety of my staff, the stewarding on site and concerns for the protesters’, but Amey has announced they will resume this week and the police have promised an ‘increased presence’.
