Statement on Sheffield war memorial trees

Councillor Lewis Dagnall, Cabinet Member for Environment and Streetscene, said:

"In this, the week of Remembrance Day, I am confirming that we have developed a plan to retain 32 of the 35 war memorial trees that were originally earmarked for replacement. The three that will still be replaced, on Western Road, are decaying.

"Since taking on my post as Cabinet Member with responsibility for Streets Ahead, I have called for a compromise on all sides of the street tree debate, and this agreement comes on top of the Council’s commitment to plant an additional 300 war memorial trees in the city’s parks.

"Remembrance Day is a period of quiet reflection on the costs of war, especially in this centenary year of the First World War Armistice. I know that many families across the city who have lost loved ones in conflicts find this time of year particularly difficult.

"Residents have been clear with me that they would like war memorial trees to be treated as a special case. I know that information about the Western Road trees is now in the public domain. As I do not want this debate to overshadow the Remembrance Day period, I am also writing to residents of the affected streets this afternoon with this information.

"Amey have agreed to fund the costs of delivering this new agreement, and there will be no additional cost to public money.

"Furthermore, we will be consulting with residents on all war memorial sites over the weeks ahead about the possibility of planting additional trees as replacements for the trees that have been lost or removed over previous decades and not replaced."