Sheffield trees: Consultation on resuming highways project begins

The consultation concerns 26 roads in the city

A public consultation on Sheffield City Council's plans to resume its controversial street improvement project has begun.

The programme was paused in 2018, with the council later apologising to campaigners and admitting to misleading the public and courts.

The consultation concerning 26 roads in the city will consist of six phases, with the first opening on Monday.

A council spokesperson said the resurfacing works were "necessary".

"The council has been working hard to learn from the street tree dispute and agree a way forward to carry out necessary resurfacing on these roads after the programme was paused in 2018," they added.

Street trees have been retained under the current designs, which involve building pavements around them and into the road.

But a council spokesperson warned this would leave less space for parking.

"The build outs have been designed in a way which strikes a balance between maintaining sufficient road width for two-way traffic while also ensuring there is enough room to protect the roots of these trees and allow some space for future growth," they said.

Chair of the waste and street scene committee Joe Otten said "a number of stakeholders" had been consulted on the designs.

Residents in some parts of the city firmly opposed the fellings

They were drawn up by Amey, who deliver the council's Streets Ahead highway maintenance contract.

Feedback from residents was now being sought "to ensure we can deliver necessary works in the most suitable way," Mr Otten added.

The first phase of the consultation will focus on Dunkeld Road, Silver Hill Road and Banner Cross Road.

Drop-in sessions will be hosted at Ecclesall Library in February and March to provide more information on the proposals, the council spokesperson said.

A plaque recognising the actions of campaigners who fought to save threatened trees in Sheffield is expected to be installed by the local authority later this year.