Cutting down trees? Not again

Good afternoon readers — and welcome to our Monday briefing.

In a city with Sheffield’s recent history, it’s either brave or foolhardy. As part of plans to construct a new science teaching building, the University of Sheffield says it intends to fell 13 mature London plane trees near the University tram stop. They say the new building is needed to give science students the experience they expect, but critics say losing so many large trees is unacceptable, and have asked the university to think again. The row again raises the issue of how the university balances its own self interest with that of the city. That’s our big story today.

As well as that, the first reviews of Chariots of Fire at the Crucible are glowing, plus the Sheffield Grand Prix returns for its tenth year.

Unmissable drama at the Davis Cup

From today’s sponsor: Wimbledon may be over, but you don't need to go to London to see top flight tennis. The Davis Cup will be coming to the AO Arena in Manchester in September, with a chance to see some of the biggest names in the game. Known as the World Cup of Tennis, the event is unlike any other in men's tennis, with the GB Team taking on Canada, Argentina, and Finland. Premium seats with the best view of the action are available for just £65.

Don't miss the chance to see an incredible sporting spectacle over in Manchester. To buy your tickets, click here.

Catch up and coming up

We’ve been really touched by the phenomenal response to our weekend read, which has been read almost 23,000 times and shared widely on social media. Dan has reported on Park Hill flats quite a few times — both because it’s a hugely important development and because he lives there — but this time teamed up with Victoria to investigate why developer Urban Splash isn’t delivering the social housing it first promised. “Very informative and deserves to be re-read a number of times,” said Tribune member Maggie Young. “A lot of important lessons here.” You can read it for yourself here.

Last week, we sent out another two great editions. Our 2,220 paying members received an interview with Professor Tony Prescott from the University of Sheffield on the risks and potential gains of using AI labour. Meanwhile, our entire mailing list received a phenomenal piece by freelancer Carey Davies on a particular type of South Yorkshire stone. You might be thinking there’s absolutely no way you want to read a couple thousand words about rocks but, trust us, you do. Just check out the extract below.

Millstone Grit’s heyday as a millstone was during the industrial boom years of the eighteenth century, but in the nineteenth century it was supplanted in the mills by wheels made of French chert and cement, which left less debris in the flour (in other words, it was less, well, gritty). The shift was so sudden that it became uneconomical to pay for the onerous labour of transporting millstones which had already been quarried and cut, and today, wheels of Millstone Grit still extensively litter the landscape below the likes of Stanage and Millstone Edge, steadily sinking under moss and bracken as they wait for a buyer that will never come. All that is solid melts into soil.

This week, our paying members will receive another two editions. The second is about the tug-of-war raging over who should take priority — residents trying to sleep or young people trying to go out and have fun — in decisions about the shape of our city centre. To read both of those, you’ll have to become a subscriber. It costs just £1.71 a week or 24p a day if you pay for 12 months up front (£89).

The big picture: Pedal power 🚴

The Sheffield Grand Prix is back on Wednesday! Some of the UK’s top riders will be pedalling furiously around the city centre as the race returns for its 10th edition. This lovely image from last year’s race was shared by Sheffield Council on X. Find out more about this year’s event here.

This week’s weather 🌦

Our weather forecast comes from dedicated Sheffield weather service Steel City Skies, who say this week will feel warmer and brighter than it has been recently, although also breezier and rather changeable.

Monday 🌦 Sunniest during the morning, with hazier and cloudier weather later ahead of evening rain. Light SE winds with highs a more respectable 21°C.

Tuesday 🌦 Morning rain slowly clears to leave a brighter afternoon with one or two sharp showers. Becoming breezy from the west with highs of 20°C.

Wednesday ⛅️ Showers lighter and more isolated, leaving many dry, fine and warm with lighter winds from the west-southwest. Highs of 23°C.

Thursday ☁️ Cloudier weather from the southwest, along with a keen breeze. Some brightness, but the risk of light rain, too. Highs of 20°C.

Friday 🌦 Bright and breezy from the southwest with warm spells of sunshine and the chance of catching an afternoon heavy shower. Highs of 23°C.

Outlook: Likely staying showery through the weekend with a notable breeze from the west to southwest. Temperatures near normal, so feeling pleasant enough in the sun.

To see the full forecast and keep up to date with any changes to the outlook, follow Steel City Skies on Facebook.

The big story: Cutting down trees? Not again 🌳

Top line: The University of Sheffield will soon submit plans for a new Central Teaching Laboratory on Upper Hanover Street near the University tram stop. The university says the building will provide the modern facilities that students expect. But critics say the plans will lead to the loss of 13 mature trees and the demolition of six nearby properties.

The Central Teaching Laboratory is the university’s next big building project after the Wave building in Broomhill. The work will entail the demolition of the former Sainsbury's store on Upper Hanover Street, as well as five Victorian houses on Hounsfield Road. Four mature London plane trees have already been felled to make way for the relocation of an electricity substation, while another nine will need to be felled for the building.

• As previously pointed out by University of Sheffield student newspaper Forge Press, the loss of any trees in Sheffield is big news. A petition created by campaigners Save The Trees! said many people were “dismayed” at the plans.
• The group added the Sheffield Tree Action Group had “expressed their concern” at the plans and a motion had also been passed by the local University and College Union branch asking the university to think again.

The building’s design has also raised some eyebrows, not least at Tribune Towers. The university says the image they have been using is only an artist's impression of how the building could look, but it wouldn't be the first time they have been criticised over the “eye-catching” design for a new university building. In 2016, the Diamond building on Brook Hill was nominated by Building Design magazine for the Carbuncle Cup, an annual award given to the worst building in the UK.

The university says the building will create a “new focal point” for its Western Bank campus. They said it was needed to provide the “modern and flexible” lab teaching spaces science students expect, and that the “net zero in operation” building would replace a number of “older, inefficient buildings”. A planning application is expected later in 2024.

• A spokesperson added that felling trees was “always a last resort” and that they would replace each tree felled with two more in line with their policies.
• However, Save Our Trees! said this would inevitably lead to the mature trees being replaced by much smaller trees and was therefore “inadequate”.

The trees are only one part of the problem. Heritage expert Robin Hughes said that it would be “a pity” to lose the five Victorian buildings on Hounsfield Road. And he also believes that a further university plan to demolish the 100-year-old Brook Hill Hall further up Hounsfield Road using a DPN (Demolition Prior Notification) was not Permitted Development under planning law. “The loss of any building is regrettable, but the main importance of the hall is as a memorial, and it is the memorial aspect that needs to be preserved,” he told The Tribune.

Our take: Given our recent history with trees, this feels like a bit of an own goal from the university. They only have a small space to play with, but it feels like it should have been possible to come up with a design that would have kept the trees in place. And while the university has a difficult balance to strike between the needs of a 21st century educational establishment and its role as a custodian, this statement building risks reinforcing the critique that they value student numbers more than the city’s heritage. 

The Weekly Whitworth ✍️

Cartoonist James Whitworth with his take on this week’s big story.

‘I lived a full, big, energetic life — not because of the cancer but in spite of it’

Terribly sad news reached us this morning that Emma Lawrence (née Fisher), the Sheffield cancer campaigner, has died aged 43. I met and wrote a story about Emma six years ago, not long after she had been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer. I had become aware of her from a line of jewellery she had made which made no bones about just how she felt about her disease. “Fuck cancer,” the necklaces read. As you might expect from that, Emma was a joy to meet. Totally lacking in self pity and unafraid to tell me where to go with my “live each day like it’s your last” platitudes. “If I hear one more person say they could get hit by a bus tomorrow, I will punch them,” she told me.

Emma wasn't interested in merely surviving, she wanted to, as she put it, thrive with cancer. And she did. All you have to do is look at her Instagram to see all the amazing things she did in the last six years to know that. Snowboarding, sailing, travelling all over the world, and just in the last few weeks, getting married. She also threw herself into campaigning for Breast Cancer Now and even became an ambassador for the charity’s link up with sportswear manufacturer Adidas. Emma’s last message showed her hiking in the hills. “When you think of me remember the times in the mountains, in the bars, on the water, laughing walking the dogs,” she wrote. “Don’t think of me with cancer. Yes I have had cancer but I lived a full, big, energetic life — not because of the cancer but in spite of it.”

Our media picks

Council hoping to ‘appease’ campaigners decided ‘in error’ to demolish historic pub 🫢 The “accidental” demolition of the Market Tavern in Castlegate did not have “any malicious intent,” a five-month investigation has concluded. NowThen, who exposed Sheffield Council for publicly insisting that the pub collapsed spontaneously, reports that this misinformation was reportedly released to the public due to “several fundamental communication breakdowns”. The articles states that NowThen understands this false story “originated from council officers assuming that this is what had happened”.

Chariots of Fire review — the joyous stage version is back for the Olympics 🏃‍♂️ The Times reviewed Chariots of Fire at the Crucible, describing it as a source of “visceral, fist-pumping joy”. This is artistic director Robert Hastie’s last production before his departure — you can read our exit interview with him here — and he has worked hard to ensure it grips sports enthusiasts and sceptics alike. When the iconic Vangelis soundtrack finally appeared, the audience at opening night reportedly began cheering.

Landmark listed building owner in court showdown with council over repairs 🐶 The owner of the Salvation Army Citadel building is being dragged into court to explain why it looks like a “dog’s dinner”. Robert Hill has been served with a repair notice by the council but is so far refusing to do any of the necessary work. Hill, who has owned the building for 17 years, said receiving the repair notice felt like “harassment”, adding: “It’s not the principle, it’s the timing.”

Home of the week 🏡

It’s hard to decide which of the design choices in this six-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Nether Edge Village stands out most. Is it the leopard-print downstairs bathroom, or the mirrored corridor between the main bedroom and its ensuite? Either way, if you’ve got £1.2 million and bold taste, this property is definitely worth a look. It’s even got a garage converted into a mini-house, complete with a shower room and kitchenette, for when you want to get away from whoever you’re living with. 

Things to do

Music 🎻 On Wednesday night, head down to the Perch Brewhouse on Garden Street in Sheffield city centre for an evening of folk music and dance, complete with a ceilidh and optional jam session. Performances from the Folk Factory music groups start at 6, while the ceilidh kicks off at 7:30. Standard tickets are £10 and you can grab yours here.

Wine 🍷 On Thursday night, the Northern Wine Guy is hosting a delicious evening at Cambridge Street Collective, presenting five wine and cheese pairings. It’s an opportunity to learn about the art of winemaking and the attributes of different kinds — or just enjoy the taste. Tickets are £35 each and you can get yours here.

Paint 🎨 Alternatively, if you’d like to be a bit more hands-on while drinking, Picture House Social is hosting a paint-and-sip event that same night. You’ll be guided step by step by a practising artist, meaning all experience levels are welcome, on how to recreate Van Gogh’s famous sunflowers. All materials are provided and tickets are also £35, available here.