Hi, my first post here, as you may guess from my username, I am a bit of a radio anorak, and on one radio forum, a resident conspiracy theorist has made the claim that trees are being cut down in Sheffield, England, because of the 5G roll-out.
Assuming he was posting nonsense as usual, I did a quick google & stumbled across this interesting site & thread, and thought I would share my reply to him, as I am sure it will be of interest to some here.
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If the tree felling in Sheffield has anything to do with the roll-out of the 5G network, perhaps Geoff can explain:
1 – Why has the government appointed a new 'Tree Champion', who duties include preventing the unnecessary felling of street trees?
He will bring together mayors, city leaders and other key players across local government to prevent the unnecessary felling of street trees – alongside supporting the introduction of a new duty for councils to properly consult with communities before they cut down trees.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tree-champion-to-expand-englands-woodland
One of the first things he did was announce that he will be looking into the situation in Sheffield.
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/latest-news/government-tree-champion-makes-sheffield-saga-a-priority-after-unprecedented-protests-1-9219165
2 - Why has the government's Forestry Commission launched an investigation into the situation in Sheffield?
The Forestry Commission has confirmed it is investigating the entire programme of tree-felling work being undertaken by Sheffield City Council as part of its £2.2bn highways maintenance contract with Amey, which is known as the Streets Ahead project.
Felling growing trees without a licence is an offence under the Forestry Act but one of the exemptions which applies is carrying out felling in line with a legal obligation. The Streets Ahead scheme is being conducted in connection with the council’s duty to maintain and repair highways under the Highways Act but it is understood the Forestry Commission is examining whether some felling work has been carried out outside of these obligations and therefore whether a licence was required.
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/latest-news/forestry-commission-puts-sheffield-council-s-tree-felling-scheme-under-investigation-1-9219162 .
3 – If Sheffield is doing this, because of 5G, why have cities where it's already being rolled out (London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Belfast) not done the same?
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It's totally normal to replace street trees, our council does it all the time, admittedly not on the scale of what Sheffield is doing, it does seem they are going over the top, but they are certainly not felling 36,000 trees as you claim.
The current target is to replace 10,000 trees, although they have budgeted for a maximum of 17,500 in case of a wide spread outbreak of disease, as part of a 25-year highways contract, running until 2037!
25 years to clear trees for the roll out of 5G? You're having a laugh, Geoff.
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Part of that contract contains 'a requirement for straight pavement kerbs – affecting decisions on whether trees can be saved', and that's one reason trees get replaced across the country. Trees can start lifting up kerb stones & paving slabs, resulting in uneven surfaces, which provide a danger, particularly for senior citizens and people with poor vision, which can be costly in injury claims made against councils. It can also make pavements difficult to navigate for wheelchair users, and people pushing prams or pushchairs.
I was aware of the situation in Sheffield, and the associated protests, but this is the first time I've heard claims that it had anything to do with 5G, hence I've spent a few minutes on google. I found the above links, which somewhat rubbish the claim, and I couldn't find any reliable source to back-up the claim, just a few weird conspiracy-type sites.
The suggestion is [baseless].
