http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/your-say/opinions-differ-from-the-online-survey-1-8539616

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/revealed-air-pollution-hot-spots-in-sheffield-where-deadly-fumes-are-more-than-twice-legal-limit-1-8533487

SHEFFIELD’S MOST POLLUTED SPOTS (areas where average nitrogen dioxide levels exceed EU limit):

ABBEYDALE ROAD CORRIDOR :

Butterworth Cycles,S7 1TA 

Abbeydale Road/Carterknowle Road

Abbeydale Road, S7 2BH

Chippendale, Abbeydale Road/Archer Road S7 2BJ

La Scala, Abbeydale Road 

Abbeydale Road South/Abbey Lane

CROOKES AND BROOMHILL:

Crookes Road (opp Hoole Road) S10 5BB

Newbould Lane/Watson Road 

Manchester Road/Fulwood Road junction

DARNALL:

Shop Front Parkway R/A S9 4AE

ECCLESALL (January and February only):

Books on the Park S11 8TG

Ecclesall Fisheries (over 50)

HILLSBOROUGH/MALIN BRIDGE/WALKLEY: 

Walkley Road/South Road (March only) (over 50)

KELHAM ISLAND:

Wicker

Lady’s Bridge 

Penistone Road

NETHER EDGE:

Nether Edge School 

Holt House School

PENISTONE ROAD: 

Penistone Road/Bickerton Road 

Catchbar Lane traffic light 

Winster Road

Penistone Road/Dixon Lane

SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY:

Sheaf Street 2

Sheaf Street station side

Station taxi rank 1 

Station taxi rank 2

Fitzalan Square

SHEFFIELD STATION:

14 monitors all exceed legal cap 

TINSLEY FORUM:

Town Street 

Siemens Close (M1 end)

Old Tinsley Infants School

Read more at: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/revealed-air-pollution-hot-spots-in-sheffield-where-deadly-fumes-are-more-than-twice-legal-limit-1-8533487

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/tree-campaigners-defend-actions-after-dispute-with-sheffield-residents-1-8533454

Press Release in response to Saturday’s website article in The Star. http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/we-want-trees-to-come-down-so-why-aren-t-protesters-listening-1-8530239

Super overview of aspects of the city-wide campaign to save healthy street trees. #saveshefftrees

View at Medium.com

https://medium.com/@chrismsaunders/the-tree-protectors-vs-sheffield-city-council-345ed34139aa

UK’s new air pollution plan dismissed as ‘weak’ and ‘woefully inadequate’

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/05/government-fails-to-commit-to-diesel-scrappage-scheme-in-uk-clean-air-plan?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_WordPress

A new online form has been launched to make it easier for residents to submit complaints about Amey.

If you experience or see any of the following please use this form.

• Issues with “temporary” Amey barriers;
• Dangerous temporary footpaths;
• Holes in pavements or verges;
• Street lights not working or dark areas at night;
• Shoddy resurfacing work on roads or pavements;
• Old road or pavement surfaces in a particularly poor state of disrepair;
• Issues with replacement trees;
• Issues with road closure notifications;
• etc…

For more information see the Sheffield Residents Holding Amey To Account site.

THE Fact that South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield Council are blaming each other for the towing away of residents’ cars prior to the controversial pre-dawn felling of trees shows the extent to which this whole saga has been mismanaged.

The context is this. Given how Sheffield promotes itself as Britain’s ‘outdoor city’ and the extent to which local residents do, in fact, value the environment, this issue always had the potential to polarise public opinion.

Yet, while even opponents of this scheme have accepted that there is a legitimate case for the felling of those dead and diseased trees which pose a genuine hazard to public health and safety if they are allowed to become unstable, the secrecy surrounding the planned work – more than 6,000 street trees are being replaced across Sheffield with smaller specimens – does seem extreme.

This is one issue where the council should have been working in collaboration with local residents. Instead the way the whole issue has been mishandled on leafy Rustlings Road, the location at the centre of this latest war of words, has been allowed to become a PR disaster which is detracting time – and money – away from the more substantive issues facing Sheffield. Surely it would be far prudent if the powers-that-be were focusing on economic growth, and new job opportunities, rather than this very local difficulty?

This free resource, online here, has been produced by members of STAG as a means to setting the record straight regarding the many Myths & Alternative Facts that have been peddled by Sheffield City Council & Amey (Streets Ahead).

STAG seeks to try & retain Healthy Street Trees and to highlight the major shortcomings of the Streets Ahead Program and the futility of initiatives such as the SCC Tree Survey & the setting up of the Independent Tree Panel process.

In the process we are challenging the council’s own so-called “myth-busting” and relentless abuse of the facts.

We are hoping this informed piece of work can be disseminated as widely as possible so please do share!

‘Tomorrow morning SCC/Amey will test a different law to attempt to shut down lawful action against the tree felling programme. The streets that are in the firing line are Steade, St Ronan’s and Raven Road in Nether Edge and Dobcroft Road in Millhouses. We will have campaigners on all roads from 7 am and all help is welcome.

 One city, one fight.”

More here

Yours is a local struggle, so it can sometimes be difficult to see the wider perspective as you do your daily work and try to save trees at the same time.  Are you alone, does anyone else care, or does anyone else even know?

So here’s a bit of perspective to make the point that the Third World politics you are enduring right now may not have been exposed in the past, but, courtesy of the internet, places to hide are diminishing by the day.
In a couple of days, I leave for Australia to speak at this conference:  

http://www.arboriculture.org.au/Events/Conference–Trade-Show-and-Workshops/Urban-International-and-Australian-http://www.arboriculture.org.au/Events/Conference–Trade-Show-and-Workshops/Urban-International-and-Australian-Speakers

It is big, the delegates are well-informed, and there is a formidable array of accomplished international speakers.  I only have 45 minutes, but the first 10 are going to be a detailed review of the political manipulation and misinformation being applied by Sheffield City Council.  And, because I have been up and seen the befores and afters for myself, I will be speaking from first-hand experience, which I find packs a special kind of punch.
The World is quickly learning about what has gone so badly wrong in Sheffield.  So, there is support, it is growing by the day, and you should all keep up the good work.

Jeremy

Wildlife crime is an important matter of concern as Amey press on with felling operations in this hit and run fashion. If you believe that they or their contractors have not exercised due diligence with regard to avoiding disturbance to nesting birds, or indeed you have reason to believe they are destroying an active nest site, please try to document as much as possible , including photos or video. Call 101 and ask for an incident reference number. You can then use the form I am linking to here to report the matter to the RSPB legal team

More here

I recall a poll in the Star. Oh yes, here it is. 24 hours ish saw 1217 votes cast. 88%, or 1070 of respondents supported the cross- party walkout in support of Alison Teal. Nothing more was heard. Ok, these kinds of polls are unscientific, but they are a ‘barometer’ of sorts. At the same time that this was not making any news at all some snarky petition from a leading party activist was actually making headlines despite then having only the one solitary supporter in a week or so. Press exposure saw support spiralling to four, then seven by the Easter weekend. Seven supporters in two weeks, hmmmm.

Meanwhile, SCC maintain their audacious assertion that tree campaigners are a tiny minority. They should get out more

HELP SAVE SHEFFIELD’S TREES. Save my home. Join the Thunderclap here and help stop the destruction of our healthy and beneficial street trees for PFI profit. Sheffield City Council have not even read the 25 Year PFI contract! What a Joke!

Whose Trees? Our Trees.. Whose Trees? Nature’s Trees!

Since 2012 AMEY PLC and Sheffield City Council have chopped down approx. 5000 healthy street trees across Sheffield. Along the way they have arrested 14 brave tree protectors using dodgy trade union law. Now they plan to cut down many more healthy and heritage trees including World War One memorials! Their destructive behaviour knows no bounds at a time of high pollution and diminishing habitat.

This is profit led environmental vandalism and is at odds with British values and common sense.

Trees are the lungs of the Earth!

With every mature tree lost there is a loss to people, the planet and to biodiversity in cities. Saplings take time to grow to maturity and cannot match the carbon (CO2) uptake of the healthy existing trees.

Send a loud collective message

Please join the Thunderclap here and send a loud collective message to AMEY PLC and Sheffield City Council.

STOP CHOPPING DOWN OUR TREES!

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITIONS TOO

The Sad Squirrel X