Sheffield Council ‘powerless’ against potential street tree felling for broadband cables

Residents of the Silverdale Road area – including some surrounding streets – are “worrying” after a company called Connect Fibre has started to erect telegraph poles and put up cables which could result in trees being destroyed.

Cllr Barbara Masters (Ecclesall, Liberal Democrats) told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that under the government’s initiative to increase broadband coverage in the north, projects like this don’t have to go through the planning system – essentially making the council “powerless”.

She said: “So when you look at how far apart the actual telegraph poles are, you can realise that stringing cables across is going to be quite disruptive.

“It’s a government initiative to level up the north, to provide broadband coverage in places where it is poor, true of many of our rural areas.

“But for them to give these companies carte blanche to do what they like, in suburban areas, without any thought to the sensitivities, or the rights of residents, to enjoy their properties, and to enjoy the streets, it is totally unacceptable.

“We have no powers as such, to do anything about it.”

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) was told that Communications Code Operators were not required to apply for planning permission for the installation of their apparatus as this is regarded as “permitted development” under the Town and Country Planning Act provided they do not exceed 15 metres in height.

Cllr Masters added: “The only notices I’ve seen as notices put up by residents warning each other about the proposals. But again, the proposals are not clear.

“We’ve not been consulted, we’ve not been informed or consulted. There are no plans available. So we can’t actually check what is proposed and exactly where. We just know what residents were told in a letter that the Connect Fibre is going to come in string cables across the streets and erect some more telegraph poles.”

Some residents also said that the trees in their own gardens could be in danger of being felled if they interfere with the cables.

Cllr Masters added it was the prime minister Rishi Sunak who had announced that residents must be consulted by local authorities before removing trees in urban areas.

“He referenced the Street Trees debacle in Sheffield as to why it matters”, she said, a scandal which saw more than 17,000 trees being felled. “So it’s really hard to stomach that an outside agency has the power to remove what they want”.

An option, we were also told, was to install fibre broadband through trenching – this has been done in many other locations across the country.

Sally Langley, a resident on Silverdale Road, said they hadn’t seen the plans but it didn’t matter because they simply didn’t want those cables up there.

She said it was “just worrying”.

Ms Langley said: “We’re all (using) Virgin here so we wouldn’t switch anyway.

“I feel if they think they’ve consulted, then actually they haven’t really because just pushing some random letter through the door that’s not really engaging with people in my view.

“If you’re going to do something like that there should be a local meeting or something where you can actually have a say, for all residents, and that people are fully informed and that they’ve made sure people are aware.

“There hasn’t been, in my mind, a proper engagement with the local community. So the fact that could just come and do it is really worrying.”

When approached for a comment, the council admitted that it “does not have the power to stop this”.

However, a council spokesperson added they were “engaging proactively” with the telecommunications companies and asking them to consider alternative means of installation.

Leader of Sheffield City Council, Cllr Tom Hunt and chief executive Kate Josephs had written to all telecommunications companies involved last week, asking them to engage with the council and consider alternative methods, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands.

In a statement, Cllr Tom Hunt said the council was “concerned” about the potential damage.

Cllr Hunt said: “We have been informed by several telecommunications companies of their plans to install telegraph poles and overhead wires in some parts of the city to improve and expand fibre broadband services.

“Whilst the installation of broadband services is important, we are concerned about potential damage to Sheffield’s much loved and hard-fought-for street trees which could result from this work.

“We have written to the companies who are conducting the work to raise concerns. We have encouraged them to engage with the Council and the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership and asked them to consider alternative means of installation.

“We are pleased that we have received responses and meetings with the companies will now be arranged. We hope we can work together to ensure this work takes place while ensuring our streets are protected.

“We fully understand and share the long-held passion that people in Sheffield have for street trees and we are doing all that we can to ensure that street trees are protected.”