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Sheffield Trees! (Read 22233 times)

DAVETHOMAS90

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#25 Re: Sheffield Trees!
January 27, 2017, 02:12:54 am
Yes, great stuff  :clap2:

 :2thumbsup:

Good effort posting that one up Slackline.

DAVETHOMAS90

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#26 Re: Sheffield Trees!
February 06, 2017, 02:15:12 pm
Hi everyone.

There was a good show of strength in protest against felling of trees on Chippinghouse Road in Nether Edge today.

However, we really need more support, and I'm hoping that members of the local climbing community would like to be more involved in the very well coordinated campaign - against the way the council has given the green light to felling of trees on a very poorly consulted basis.

This is a very important time, and it's anticipated that there will be a great deal of action to fell trees in the Nether Edge and Ecclesall areas throughout the next month.

Any support or help in spreading the word locally will be greatly appreciated.

If you want more information, either PM me, or use the link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdaCONJ-lr5IG2SUkFZFiqwRLqyCLu9qo0hlB-WBuGVgqczIA/viewform?c=0&w=1

Dave.

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#27 Re: Sheffield Trees!
February 13, 2017, 10:19:15 am
Another tree due to be felled on St Ronan's road today (13 Feb), the next street along from Chippinghouse road. Several protestors there but more needed if anyone can make it down there...

DAVETHOMAS90

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#28 Re: Sheffield Trees!
February 15, 2017, 04:52:44 am
Well done posting Simon.

We saved that one - for the time being.

I'll give a comprehensive update when I can.

There's going to be a lot of activity in Nether Edge, Ecclesall and Meersbrook, and the more support we can get, the better.

Dave.

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#29 Re: Sheffield Trees!
February 15, 2017, 07:42:46 pm
Two film crews are turning up tomorrow morning (Thurs 16th) at 8am to chippinghouse Rd, would be good to turn up in numbers if anyone is free, unfortunately I start work at 7.30 , but those with a day off could stop by on their way out to the peak...

DAVETHOMAS90

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#30 Re: Sheffield Trees!
February 16, 2017, 03:31:00 am
Thanks for the update on that dr_b.

After the legal challenge presented on Monday, Amey have been inactive.  :dance1:

If Amey turn up, then so will supporters of the campaign, but we can't always predict this.

I won't be able to get there at that time - I'm also distributing campaign material tomorrow, but I'll try to make sure that this is covered elsewhere.

Dave T.

For more information, and to register support, go here!:

https://savenetheredgetrees.wordpress.com/
« Last Edit: February 16, 2017, 03:42:11 am by DAVETHOMAS90 »

DAVETHOMAS90

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#31 Re: Sheffield Trees!
March 14, 2017, 03:07:21 am
Hi Folks.

I've not updated this thread for a while. I've been busy, dividing time between Tree work, the campus board and work.

There's a lot of media which I'd like to post, but those who have been either playing an active role in campaigning, or are closely following developments, may be interested in the following open response from the Police and Crime Commissioner, Alan Billings (posted by Calvin Payne on Facebook https://en-gb.facebook.com/groups/969911106414893/  ):


Calvin Mark Payne
11 hrs

Several folk have received the following from Alan Billings in response to their letters:

Thank you for your correspondence in relation to the tree felling that occurred last month on Chippinghouse Road, Sheffield.

Since you made contact I have had a number of meetings with the police, Sheffield City Council and tree protestors. I have waited until those talks were complete before replying.

In summary, South Yorkshire Police will not be arresting anyone in the future using trade union legislation or any other law (e.g. highways legislation) because they accept that all cases brought to the Crown Prosecution Service have been rejected on the grounds that while protestors might be infringing these laws, it is not in the public interest to have them convicted. There are civil remedies open to the council to pursue which do not involve criminal law.

South Yorkshire Police were put into direct conflict with peaceful protestors and that potentially could damage public trust and confidence in them.

Councillors are now fully aware of this situation and the police response. It is a matter for them to find a way of resolving the issues with residents and protestors.

Thank you for taking the time to write.

All good wishes

Alan

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#32 Re: Sheffield Trees!
September 28, 2017, 01:04:17 pm
Michael Gove to the rescue? A more unlikely hero of the hour I would struggle to imagine......

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/sep/28/michael-gove-seeking-way-to-end-bonkers-felling-of-sheffield-trees

DAVETHOMAS90

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#33 Re: Sheffield Trees!
September 28, 2017, 08:48:36 pm
Yes, well done for posting that! A few of us have been trying to refer the matter to Secretary of State for the Environment/Rural Affairs, Michael Gove, through his ministerial office. I attended one of local MP Paul Blomfield's "BIG CON-versation" meetings this evening. The matter was effectively shut down, with Paul Blomfield (Labour) using the meeting as little more than an opportunity to defend his position - rather than embracing the views of those present. Remarkably disappointing! It's the politicising of environmental concerns which is so damaging to the debate and progress.

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#35 Re: Sheffield Trees!
October 25, 2017, 09:52:40 am
I'm not a lawyer, but why would you need a 25-year contract and is it really not possible to challenge that? Surely it's unreasonable to be tied into such a lengthy contract under such circumstances. My only experience is of restrictive covenants in contracts and these need to be 'reasonable'.

DAVETHOMAS90

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#36 Re: Sheffield Trees!
January 04, 2018, 02:58:43 am
This has appeared on the STAG Facebook page this evening:

https://evolvepolitics.com/tories-to-give-private-firms-like-g4s-and-serco-powers-to-arrest-people-in-shocking-290m-privatisation-deal/

I hope everyone finds this sort of development reassuring.  :blink:

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#37 Re: Sheffield Trees!
January 04, 2018, 09:54:32 am
I liked the film Robocop

and Chappie


DAVETHOMAS90

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#38 Re: Sheffield Trees!
January 07, 2018, 07:58:56 pm
Short video on PFI if anyone is interested:



The real cost of those sultanas in your pain au raisin - it's redacted.  :whistle:

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#39 Re: Sheffield Trees!
February 24, 2018, 01:57:42 am
Letter from Councillor Alison Teal to South Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Dave Hartley, earlier on 23/02/2018.

This great letter addresses what seems to be a worrying development in the role of the police in the Sheffield trees dispute:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/392913244219104?view=permalink&id=909991485844608&_ft_=qid.6525927727902437053%3Amf_story_key.909991485844608%3Atop_level_post_id.909991485844608%3Atl_objid.909991485844608%3Asrc.22&refid=18&__tn__=%2C%3B

DAVETHOMAS90

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#40 Re: Sheffield Trees!
February 28, 2018, 06:57:05 pm
This is a great article.

Tree felling in Sheffield; a landscape perspective:

https://www.landscapeinstitute.org/blog/streets-ahead/

Link via Deerhound Shetty, from the STAG Facebook page:

https://m.facebook.com/groups/392913244219104/

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#42 Re: Sheffield Trees!
March 01, 2018, 11:19:05 am
Hopefully something will change with the May council elections, but probably not. :(

DAVETHOMAS90

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#43 Re: Sheffield Trees!
March 01, 2018, 05:21:56 pm
Yes, perhaps it will lead to a little more opportunity for negotiation.

It's another symptom of the same problem though, isn't it, if that comes only as a result of council members protecting vested interests. That seems to be what our "democracy" has become.

I think it's important to look at both sides though, as always. There's plenty of group think on both sides, and however seemingly justified, it's important to avoid the "Us and Them" where possible. That won't lead to trust and conciliation.

The position of the local media - Sheffield Star particularly - leaves much to be desired.

There's a great opportunity for Sheffield - "The Outdoor City" !! - to showcase creative approaches to environmental issues. I can only imagine that would be a win for Amey too, if they could see past the situation specific contractually, to Sheffield.

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#44 Re: Sheffield Trees!
March 01, 2018, 09:29:31 pm
An informative critique of the replacement trees, worth reading although some of the points are a bit repetitive
https://savesheffieldtrees.org.uk/a-critique-of-ameys-replacement-trees/

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#45 Re: Sheffield Trees!
March 04, 2018, 04:11:42 pm
Just replace "flagstones" with "trees":

“In the town centre it is all conservation areas, and there are all of these nice flagstones. They take the flagstones away and put tarmac on it.”

https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/cheltenham-news/gloucestershires-hopeless-highways-firm-lose-553756#ICID=sharebar_facebook

I should join Facebook really, and post there (would rather not), however I think the issues faced in Sheffield with the trees are the same as those arising from private ownership/land management in the Peak.

Who are the stakeholders?

Good post by dr_botnik. A lot of people don't want to look at the detail.

DAVETHOMAS90

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#46 Re: Sheffield Trees!
March 10, 2018, 04:11:32 pm
Hi everyone.

The following text is part of a news update by one of our local campaigners, Paul Selby, who has worked hard to achieve transparency.

There is a lot of information that Sheffield City Council simply do not want members of the public to know.

Following Paul's freedom of information requests, the Council have been instructed to disclose various target figures and clauses.

The target of 17,500 trees to be felled by the end of the contract term, is half the street trees in Sheffield!  :ohmy:

Many people have been seduced by the narrative coming from the Council. Personally, I've been dismayed at the willingness of many people to simply accept what they are told. I've also been surprised by the lack of response from the climbing community, which seems to be swaying merrily between the two poles of Establishment/disestablishment ( :unsure: sorry, my feelings) - particularly given the strength of response to the Newbury forest fellings.

Please read!


 
"The crazy situation is drawing heavy national media attention. The Daily Mail today again ran a large article, and BBC investigative journalists have been filming events this last two days. The Yorkshire Post has always been very supportive of the campaign and has reported most days this week. Even the Sheffield Star, which struggles to criticise the Council because of all the advertising funding it receives from them, had a front page headline today criticising the current situation.
 
The situation has again led to the Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Billings, to say that the situation requires a political solution. It is clear that, whilst the Police are working closely with Amey and Sheffield Council, they are very uncomfortable about this. All of you reading this email should write to the Police and complain about the situation.
 
In the background, there are now two strong legal cases being built against the Council, both of which have the possibility of suspending and ultimately ending felling. As I’ve said before, building the legal cases requires painstaking work over many weeks. If only it was easier! But the cases are building strongly.
 
Also, yesterday, after 14 months, the Information Commissioner forced Sheffield Council to release Schedule 2 of the PFI contract in a mostly un-redacted form. My freedom of information request was made in January 2017, and only now has the information I wanted been revealed, thanks to the Information Commissioner’s intervention. Schedule 2 includes all of the targets and performance metrics that Amey are required to meet. It confirms (something I always suspected) that there is a target for perfectly straight kerb lines, with no deviations. This despite it NOT being a legal requirement in Highways Act legislation. In other words, an unnecessary target about straight kerb lines is being used to justify the removal of between 33% and 50% of the already felled and threatened trees.
 
Another one of the targets revealed in Schedule 2 is that 17,500 street trees will be felled by the end of the 25 year contract. So that’s another 11,800 trees more felled above the ones already felled. In other words, 50% of all Sheffield’s street trees will have been felled by the end of the contract. The Council have said repeatedly on the record that there is no tree felling numbers target, including in court. Clearly the Council have been brazenly lying!
 
The full story can be found at the following Yorkshire Post story:
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/our-region/south-yorkshire/sheffield/sheffield-council-forced-to-reveal-target-to-remove-17-500-street-trees-under-pfi-deal-1-9056942
 "

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#47 Re: Sheffield Trees!
March 10, 2018, 04:39:32 pm
In posting the above, I was aware of the potential for misinterpretation.

I should add, that from what I've observed on the streets, it seems very clear to me that Amey, the Council and the tree contractor Acorn are not acting with the discretion that they claim.

Rather than celebrating and preserving the tree stock we have already, it certainly appears that felling is the easy option - with an obviously ad hoc approach to the decision to chop or not.

Further, I strongly claim that the position of the Council is being abused, with the intention of suppressing public opposition.

It is the selling off of the democratic process - the active disenfranchisement of the public - which is the underlying problem which has resulted in the trees becoming the battleground.

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#48 Re: Sheffield Trees!
March 22, 2018, 03:05:09 pm
I thought about putting this one in under "Trump" too:



https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/22/sheffield-tree-protester-arrested-for-playing-plastic-trumpet?CMP=share_btn_fb

It's the last line in the video, which says it all - what would happen if you complained to the police about someone playing a plastic trumpet?

I'm far from being anti-police* . Most I've spoken with at protest sites being completely respectful, normal people doing a job.

However, it's in the operation of the whole - and the "whole" in this context can refer to the triumvirate (not to be confused with the Trump virus) of SCC/Amey/SYP - working together to protect their respective positions and interests that the harm is done.

*I have my own complaints WRT the police - as a body, again not typically against the individual.

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#49 Re: Sheffield Trees!
March 26, 2018, 01:55:57 pm
Looks like they've stopped for now at least...

https://twitter.com/dinosofos/status/978234949684875265


 

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