Rustling Road trees are being felled right now

[Detetcive 10]

Would there be such uproar if this occurred on a council estate, I suggest not

 

Probably not but some people have a lot of time on their hands. The white middle classes are angry, sir so sit up and take notice.

 

I cannot muster a single toss to give about these trees. I care more about people than plants.

[Penistone999 10]

Of course you are; but to what end?

 

To highlight the underhand , sly , devious tactics this disgrace of a council have used and the complete and utter contempt they have shown for the residents of Rustlings Rd.

[Olive 10]

Yes, I believe they would. This is about trees, not which area you live in. Many people who were concerned about the Rustlings Road trees don't live there, I don't live there but was outraged by the cutting down, especially as this seems to be a precursor to further tree felling across Sheffield.

 

When it comes to deciding what happens to the tree that's caused me no end of grief, practically, financially and mentally, it worries me that people who don't have to live with it day in, day out, may feel they want to condemn me to years more grief.

 

I've been at my wits end, and now that there might finally be some light at the end of the tunnel (as it were) for me and my near-neighbours, I'm so worried that it might turn into a Rustlings Road situation.

 

If the monster tree next to our house, that's outgrown its setting, was replaced by something more suitable, it would be like Christmas and birthdays all at once.

 

I just wanted to say that there is more than one side to these stories.

[atticus 97]

Would there be such uproar if this occurred on a council estate, I suggest not

 

AMEY have been cutting street trees down for over 4 years now and its caused barely a whimper.You may be right.

[Robin-H 11]

AMEY have been cutting street trees down for over 4 years now and its caused barely a whimper.You may be right.

 

If you think that you are clearly unaware of all the things that have happened over the past 4 years.

 

If you are not interested in street trees there is no real reason why you would know, but please don't assume that there hasn't been a big fuss just because you personally haven't been aware of it.

[atticus 97]

If you think that you are clearly unaware of all the things that have happened over the past 4 years.

 

If you are not interested in street trees there is no real reason why you would know, but please don't assume that there hasn't been a big fuss just because you personally haven't been aware of it.

 

I obviously have been aware of it thats why i have pointed it out.It seems hardly anyone else in Sheffield has noticed or if they have they must have saved their outrage up for last week.

For what its worth i think the Council/AMEY/Police handled the situation on Rustlings Road appallingly .

[Robin-H 11]

I obviously have been aware of it thats why i have pointed it out.It seems hardly anyone else in Sheffield has noticed or if they have they must have saved their outrage up for last week.

For what its worth i think the Council/AMEY/Police handled the situation on Rustlings Road appallingly .

 

That's the point I am making. There has been outrage for years.

 

There have been protests outside the town hall. There have been emergency meetings from Councillors. There have been specially set up tree forums. People have raised thousands of pounds for continuing the campaigning. The very fact that there is an Independent Tree Panel is because of campaigning from people who are angry about what is happening.

 

The events of Rustling Road were particularly bad because of the way it was handled, and so has thrown this in the public light again, but it is not for the first time. The tree felling was on the One Show last year etc.

 

It takes events for this for things to boil over, but they have been constantly simmering.

[Jeffrey Shaw 90]

To highlight the underhand , sly , devious tactics this disgrace of a council have used and the complete and utter contempt they have shown for the residents of Rustlings Rd.

SCC did act in accordance with the Court Order, didn't they?

[Robin-H 11]

SCC did act in accordance with the Court Order, didn't they?

 

Deliberating withholding information breaches the Code of Conduct of holders of public office as well as the Government's Transparency Code.

 

The conclusions of the Independent Tree Panel, which stated that 6 of the 8 trees did not need to be felled, was sent to the council on the 22 of July.

 

This report was deliberately withheld until 4.25am on the 17th of November.

 

It is not just people posting on this form that are outraged by what has happened. Even Labour Councillors are very distressed by what has occurred.

 

---------- Post added 21-11-2016 at 20:38 ----------

 

SCC did act in accordance with the Court Order, didn't they?

 

Penistone's comment did not say that the Court Order was breached. They stated that the tactics used were sly, underhanded and devious. A lot of people would agree with that.

[sheff71 10]

These trees that were felled - 'The Rustlings 8' - were they all on the park side of the road or mixed across both sides...and are there still a number of trees on the road (that hadn't been selected for this felling)?

 

While obviously it was handled deviously, and no-one involved in it comes out of this looking good, in the longer term (when the dust has settled) the street may be a bit lighter and brighter, and the residents may come to appreciate a better view of Endcliffe Park (and it's own trees).

 

From a driving perspective, it wasn't one of the nicer roads to drive down usually in recent years due to the parked cars and quite heavy traffic on that road, and it often felt a bit darker due to the trees... but then I probably only pass through there once or twice a year nowadays, so may not be representative of what it's like for the locals round there.

 

The moving of the cars is the bit that most surprises me in this - especially if they hadn't mentioned it on a notice locally (even in minute lettering). But I can see from their POV that they probably saw the expected bad publicity from this overnight stunt as preferable to another long drawn out and very public campaign with people chained to trees, and the possibility of attracting external protestors and stopping the felling in it's tracks. This way it's done - no going back - and they just have to take a few punches in the press to their reputation.

 

is this tree felling being followed by the road improvements most of the rest of Sheffield have already had from Amey, or have they already had new street lights etc?

 

I do wonder though that their justification for removing all of the trees, based on the excerpt from the report someone kindly posted earlier, is that even on those six that the ITP said could be saved, they all would need some kind of 'engineering solution' - if any had been classed as 100% safe and the ITP said they wouldn't need to do anything further, the council/Amey would've been on even dodgier ground.

 

 

One last thought - as this is (or was) such a localised issue on Rustlings Rd, if the council had said that they couldn't afford to fund the engineering solutions required to save the trees, but as someone said on here it would only cost £3,000 to have fixed these issues, could this have been a case where the locals - who we are told clearly wanted to keep these trees - could've offered to fund or part fund the work themselves? I know it's too late now, but could that have been considered? I'm sure some people would've felt it worth it.

[Robin-H 11]

These trees that were felled - 'The Rustlings 8' - were they all on the park side of the road or mixed across both sides...and are there still a number of trees on the road (that hadn't been selected for this felling)?

 

While obviously it was handled deviously, and no-one involved in it comes out of this looking good, in the longer term (when the dust has settled) the street may be a bit lighter and brighter, and the residents may come to appreciate a better view of Endcliffe Park (and it's own trees).

 

From a driving perspective, it wasn't one of the nicer roads to drive down usually in recent years due to the parked cars and quite heavy traffic on that road, and it often felt a bit darker due to the trees... but then I probably only pass through there once or twice a year nowadays, so may not be representative of what it's like for the locals round there.

 

The moving of the cars is the bit that most surprises me in this - especially if they hadn't mentioned it on a notice locally (even in minute lettering). But I can see from their POV that they probably saw the expected bad publicity from this overnight stunt as preferable to another long drawn out and very public campaign with people chained to trees, and the possibility of attracting external protestors and stopping the felling in it's tracks. This way it's done - no going back - and they just have to take a few punches in the press to their reputation.

 

is this tree felling being followed by the road improvements most of the rest of Sheffield have already had from Amey, or have they already had new street lights etc?

 

I do wonder though that their justification for removing all of the trees, based on the excerpt from the report someone kindly posted earlier, is that even on those six that the ITP said could be saved, they all would need some kind of 'engineering solution' - if any had been classed as 100% safe and the ITP said they wouldn't need to do anything further, the council/Amey would've been on even dodgier ground.

 

 

One last thought - as this is (or was) such a localised issue on Rustlings Rd, if the council had said that they couldn't afford to fund the engineering solutions required to save the trees, but as someone said on here it would only cost £3,000 to have fixed these issues, could this have been a case where the locals - who we are told clearly wanted to keep these trees - could've offered to fund or part fund the work themselves? I know it's too late now, but could that have been considered? I'm sure some people would've felt it worth it.

 

The residents were kept entirely in the dark about what was happening. The report that said engineering solutions (which had already been used on trees on Rustling Road in the past, and so presumably paid for by the council then) was withheld for months, only being released minutes before the trees were felled.

 

If the residents knew that the ITP recommended the engineering solutions, I'm sure they would have looked more closely into costs etc.

[Cyclone 10]

We just had a "consultation" letter through the door, survey doesn't open until 25th Nov though.