Elm thought saved in battle with town hall will be felled
A SYMBOLIC elm in the campaign to save Sheffield’s street trees will be felled “next summer”, the council has confirmed.
Campaigners fighting to save the 120-year-old tree on the corner of Chelsea Road and Union Road in Nether Edge were given a glimmer of hope when Sheffield Hallam MP Jared O’Mara said he had been told it would not be felled.
The tree is one of about 600 due to be cut down before the end of the year as part of the council’s Streets Ahead partnership with Amey. Mr O’Mara, who met with the council, told constituents ‘contrary to reports’ it would not be felled.
Cabinet member for the environment Bryan Lodge had said it would be pruned and would ‘not quite look the same’, the new Labour MP added.
Mr O’Mara also told campaigners there was a chance an oak on Vernon Road, Dore, could be saved using “community infrastructure levy” money paid by developers. Work could cost £10,000, he said.
Today the council confirmed some work on the Chelsea Road tree – a survivor of Dutch elm disease and home to the rare white letter hairstreak butterfly – would be taking place.
The authority says decay has been found in some branches which need to be made “safe” and could be removed – hence the suggestion the tree could end up looking quite different.
But a spokesman refuted Mr O’Mara’s claims and said the elm would be cut down next summer.
“All options” were still being considered for Vernon Road, the spokesman added.
Mr O’Mara said he was “not particularly happy” with the news.
“They definitely said it wasn’t going to come down,” he added.
Councillors are due to discuss the future of war memorial trees ion Western Road, Crookes, later this month.