Sheffield tree campaigners’ efforts to be recognised by council plaque

A plaque recognising the actions of campaigners who fought to save threatened trees in Sheffield will be installed by the city council in 2024.

Thousands of trees were felled as part of a £2.2bn street improvement project, sparking public anger and protests.

Earlier this week, Sheffield City Council published a letter apologising for its handling of the row.

The plaque was part of the council’s attempt to address its failings, according to a report by the authority.

It would also acknowledge those who fought for the city’s “environmental heritage”, it said.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the plans for the plaque were approved alongside the council’s apology, which was issued in a four-page letter on Tuesday.

It was a response to an independent review, led by Sir Mark Lowcock, which found the tree-felling programme had been flawed from the start and there had been “serious and sustained failures” in leadership.

The plaque would be unveiled in the Town Hall’s entrance in March next year, coinciding with the sixth anniversary of the last on-street protests over the felling programme, officers said in the report.

“[It is] in recognition of those who fought for our environmental heritage and were vindicated, and to serve as a reminder to all elected members that this failure of leadership will never happen again,” they added.

Council officers suggested the plaque should be “equal in size, prominence and detail” to the Kinder Scout Trespass plaque which is also found in the Town Hall entrance.

The Kinder Trespass plaque acknowledges those who took part in a 1932 protest in the Peak District aimed at highlighting how walkers were being prevented by landowners from accessing open countryside.

The new plaque would cost about £10,000 and the public would be consulted about potential designs, officers said.

The apology for the way the tree-felling programme was handled, which was made by recently elected council leader Tom Hunt and the authority’s chief executive Kate Josephs, acknowledged the council’s “poor” behaviour towards campaigners and residents and its lack of transparency during the dispute.

The council also admitted misleading the public and courts and failing to listen to warnings offered by staff, unions and local business leaders.

The letter published this week stated: “The mistakes the council made were set out very clearly by Sir Mark Lowcock. They should not have happened and we apologise for them unreservedly.

“We have committed to taking the action needed to ensure we learn from the past and never repeat those same mistakes again.”