Tree protestor Calvin Payne has been found to be in contempt of court for using social media to incite people to breaking a high court injunction to stop interference in the felling of trees. A case against Green Party Councillor Alison Teal relating to the same high court injunction was dismissed and a third case is to be heard next week. Azz Mohammed reports for Sheffield Live!
Hundreds of tree campaigners gathered in a ‘funeral’ procession for trees cut down under Sheffield Council’s Streets Ahead programme. Campaigners, led by a hearse, proceeded through Sheffield city centre to a protest rally with speeches from charities, academics and opposition councillors. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Sheffield tree campaigners were out in force on Wednesday at a peaceful early morning picket of contractors Amey at their Olive Grove depot. The action follows the coming into force of a High Court injunction which prevents tree protesters from standing within safety barriers of trees scheduled for felling. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed was at the scene.
Green Party councillor Alison Teal and Sheffield Trees Action Group (STAG) chair Dave Dilner have vowed to appeal a High Court decision preventing ‘direct action’ protests against tree felling. Teal and Dilner expressed disappointment at the ruling in Sheffield Council’s favour allowing injunctions to be granted against them, Calvin Payne and “persons unknown”. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Sheffield City Council has won a court battle to bring injunctions against protesters taking “unlawful direct action” to prevent trees being felled. About 5,000 trees have been cut down after being assessed as diseased, dying or dangerous, but campaigners say some healthy trees have also been lost. Orders have been made against three people, Dave Dilner the chair of Sheffield Trees Action Group (STAG), Green Party councillor Alison Teal and tree campaigner Calvin Payne, plus “persons unknown”. The council say the ruling will prevent “catastrophic financial consequences”. Under the terms of the injunction protesters will be barred from “continuing to take unlawful direct action” or from encouraging others to direct action, including entering “safety zones” erected around trees being felled. Councillor Bryan Lodge the cabinet member for the environment read a prepared statement outside the town hall today. Simon Thake reports for Sheffield Live!
Councillor Bryan Lodge, cabinet member for the environment, has defended Sheffield Council’s decision to serve legal notice on 17 tree campaigners including Green Party councillor Alison Teal. Lodge said the council had no other option but to take legal action to prevent protesters delaying the tree felling work. He claimed trespassing across temporary work barriers had the safety of protesters and Amey workers at risk. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Nether Edge and Sharrow councillor, Alison Teal, Green Party, has been served with notice of a proposed legal action to restrict involvement in protests against Sheffield Council’s tree felling programme. The authority is seeking a civil injunction to stop Teal and other tree campaigners from taking part in future protests unless they promise not to engage in direct action to disrupt tree felling by Amey workers. Teal was previously arrested for protesting against tree removals on Chippinghouse Road but charges were later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service. Baillor Jalloh reports for Sheffield Live!
Natalie Bennett, former Green Party leader, has condemned the use of a “repressive” law to arrest her colleague Alison Teal and six others during a protest against tree felling. Alison Teal, who is the councillor for Netheredge and Sharrow, was arrested along with three other women and three men on suspicion of preventing lawful work under section 241 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 during a protest against the removal of a horse chestnut tree on Chippinghouse Road. Sheffield Live! reporter Azz Mohammed spoke to Natalie Bennett.
Green Party Councillor Alison Teale was one of seven protestors arrested today at a peaceful demonstration against the felling of trees on Chippinghouse Road. The arrests came after Sheffield Council contractors, Amey, put a cordon around one of six trees scheduled to be felled as part of the city-wide Streets Ahead programme. Residents and campaigners occupied the protection zone ahead of the planned felling of the horse chestnut tree, delaying the operation and leading to the arrests. Sheffield Live! reporter Sham Powell captured the events and spoke to local residents and tree campaigners.
The Save Nether Edge Trees group have published results of detailed analysis into Nether Edge trees scheduled to be felled by Council contractors, Amey. There are 1095 street trees on adopted roads in the S7 area and 172 of them are threatened with felling. The area covered by the analysis is bounded by Brincliffe Edge Road, Sandford Grove Road, Marden Road, Abbeydale Road, Sharrow Lane, and Psalter Lane. The research was carried out by Paul Selby who concludes only fourteen of the trees actually require felling. Simon Thake reports for Shefield Live!