Penalty because of trees ‘panel’ delay

ENVIRONMENT: Sheffield City Council faces a financial penalty running into millions of pounds because of delays to highways improvements caused by setting up a panel to advise on its treefelling strategy.

The “knock-on effect” of waiting for the panel’s advice has contributed to delaying highways work .

SHEFFIELD CITY Council faces a financial penalty running into millions of pounds because of major delays to highways improvements caused by its decision to set up an independent panel to advise on its controversial tree-felling strategy.

The “knock-on effect” of waiting for the panel’s advice has contributed to delaying highways work that needs to be completed by the end of the year on more than 300 streets – despite the panel’s recommendations to save trees being ignored in 75 per cent of cases.

A Freedom of Information response sent by the council in March this year reveals the costs of delays related to the panel will fall on the council instead of its PFI partner Amey and were at that stage “forecasted to be a seven-figure number which cannot be confirmed exactly”.

Details have been revealed after the council suggested the actions of campaigners attempting to prevent the felling of trees had left the council facing “catastrophic financial consequences” - only to later admit the terms of its highways improvement contract with Amey meant any additional costs relating to protesters should be covered by the PFI firm.

Around 6,000 of the city’s 36,000 street trees are being felled and replaced with saplings as part of work also involving resurfacing roads and pavements and replacing street lights - with an ongoing row between the council and campaigners about whether some of the tree removals are necessary.

Highways work and tree removals need to be completed by the end of the year under the terms of PFI contract. The council today refused to provide any further information on the po- tential costs it could be facing in relation to the tree panel delays, saying the details are “commercially sensitive”.

The panel was set up in November 2015 to look at the issue of highway trees in the wake of concerns from campaigners. Surveys were sent out to residents who lived on affected streets and in instances where more than half raised objections, then the proposals were referred to the panel to make recommendations on whether felling should go ahead. The panel’s work was ended in July this year.

In an FoI response to Paul Selby, of the Save Nether Edge Trees group, the council said it did not hold in “recorded form the length of the delays caused by the ITP (Independent Tree Panel”.

But it added: “The costs are forecasted to be a seven figure number which cannot be confirmed exactly at this stage.”