This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Campaigners trying to halt a “politically controversial” tree-felling programme in Sheffield have vowed to continue their fight despite losing a high court battle with council bosses.

A judge on Tuesday made orders barring residents from taking “unlawful direct action” to prevent the lawful felling of roadside trees. It is the latest development in a long-running row that last week prompted an intervention by the environment secretary, Michael Gove.

A number of Sheffield residents have been arrested trying to protect some of the 6,000 trees that are to be felled as part of a 25-year, £2bn highway maintenance scheme.

Council bosses say the programme is essential if the city’s 36,000 street trees are to be managed for future generations. It insists the trees earmarked for felling are dying, diseased or dangerous – a claim disputed by residents and campaigners.

The council pays me to protect trees from destruction – but for how long? Read more

In its high court claim, the council asked for orders barring three people – including one of its own Green party councillors – and “persons unknown” from “continuing to take unlawful direct action” or from encouraging others to take direct action.



The three named by council lawyers were Alison Teal, a councillor, and Calvin Payne, both of whom have previously been arrested and released without charge for standing in the way of council contractors as they prepared to fell trees; and David Dillner, a retired actor and founder of the Sheffield Tree Action Groups.

Mr Justice Males said the council was entitled to the injunctions sought. The judge said the tree felling was highly controversial and emphasised that his ruling dealt solely with the legal question of whether the council was entitled to injunctions.

He added: “I express no view, one way or the other, as to the merits of the council’s tree-felling programme or the objectors’ campaign. Those are social and environmental questions which are politically controversial and can only be resolved in a political forum. They are not a matter for this court.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Alison Teal, a Green party councillor in Sheffield, who is one of three people barred from taking direct action. Photograph: Alison Teal

Teal said she was devastated by the ruling and would consider an appeal.

“It’s deeply worrying and quite extraordinary,” she told the Guardian. “I’m still processing it in terms of what it means for democracy: people who haven’t been involved in the campaign are going to be prevented from doing so. What does that tell people? That they’ve got no right to protest about it in future?”

She added: “This has potential to be going on for another 20 years – it’s a 25-year contract – and the council has permission to fell 50% of the roadside trees, so 18,000 trees, according to the contract.

“I don’t know how long the injunction lasts for but it’s giving the council free rein to go ahead and fell at least another thousand trees. I am very disappointed with this outcome, but will continue to do all that I can to save Sheffield trees.”

Following the ruling, the council said anyone caught “trespassing inside a safety zone” around a tree would be in contempt of court and face the risk of a fine or imprisonment.

Bryan Lodge, the council’s cabinet member for the environment, said the court action was a last resort but an important step forward.



“We have a responsibility to the taxpayers of Sheffield to do everything we can to avoid catastrophic financial consequences if the Streets Ahead work is not completed by the end of the year,” he said.



“Court action has been a last-resort option for us. We had no choice but to pursue these injunctions to stop a small number of people from causing major delays, not only to tree works, but also to work on roads, footpaths and street lights across the city.



“We know from regular feedback that the majority of people in Sheffield support the Streets Ahead programme and want us to get the job done.”



The row over the programme escalated last week when Gove wrote to Sheffield city council’s leader, Julie Dore, demanding an end to the “destruction of thousands of mature trees”.

He said felling the roadside trees would “damage our children’s rightful inheritance”, and expressed concern about the “transparency in the decision-making process” that identified which trees would be felled.

The council accused Gove of wading in without checking the facts and pursuing “ill-informed whims” that contradicted his government’s policy.