Design unveiled for street tree campaigners plaque

The design of a plaque marking the efforts of the Sheffield street tree campaigners has been revealed.

Thousands of trees were felled between 2012 and 2018 as part of a £2.2bn street improvement project, sparking public anger and protests.

In 2023, Sheffield City Council agreed to install a plaque at the town hall to acknowledge the significance of the campaign and "the wrongs" committed by the authority.

Illustrator and author Lydia Monks, who was one of the campaigners, was selected to design it after five artists applied.

The wording of the plaque reads: "In recognition of the courageous campaigners who saved thousands of street trees from wrongful felling by Sheffield City Council, and as a reminder to all that such failures of leadership must never happen again."

Council officers previously suggested it should be "equal in size, prominence and detail" to the Kinder Scout Trespass plaque in the town hall's entrance.

An independent group made up of campaigners, academics and council officers was established in 2024 to curate the plaque.

The four most popular suggestions were shared by the group to their wider networks, with 114 subsequent responses.

A council report says: "Lydia Monks has a history of supporting the tree campaign through her art and her vision resonated with the group and demonstrated her clear understanding and knowledge of the campaign.

"Lydia worked closely with the group to develop the final design to include relevant images and iconography."

The council was originally going to design the plaque, but this move was rejected by campaigners over fears it would become a "tokenistic gesture".

It will be made by Brass Founders, a Sheffield-based company, with the plaque due to be discussed by the council's strategy and resources committee on 10 December.

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