Norwood residents unite to demand council permits the removal of this ‘extremely dangerous’ sugar gum tree

Neighbours and the property owner all want to chop down this gum tree, which keeps dropping large limbs. But they say they are being stymied by the council.

Three home owners including Anthony Scott and Peter Cittadini have complained to Norwood, Payneham and St Peters Council, unsuccessfully asking for permission to have this gum tree removed because it poses a serious safety risk. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Norwood residents are banding together to plead with their council to remove a residential gum tree dropping limbs they say are large enough to kill or maim someone.

Norwood resident and former FIVEaa presenter Nicole Haack has been bothered for more than a decade by a 60-year-old sugar gum tree that overhangs from her neighbour’s property.

Ms Haack and her neighbours Peter Cittadini, as well as Lisa Askwith – the woman who owns the Queen Street property the tree grows in – have approached the Norwood, Payneham and St Peters Council at various times requesting the tree be removed.

Anthony Scott and Peter Cittadini in front of the gum tree deemed “way too dangerous to be in a suburban backyard” by an arborist. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Ms Haack said the council refused to inspect the tree, instead advising her to lodge a development application which requires hiring an arborist at her own cost – a task already undertaken by Ms Askwith in 2013.

Ms Askwith submitted the application with a supporting arborist’s report from Michael Sugars on April 15, 2013.

Mr Sugars, of Angry Beaver Stump Removal, said the tree was “extremely dangerous”.

“I stress that this tree is way too dangerous to be in a suburban backyard, and needs to be removed as soon as possible,” Mr Sugars wrote in the report.

Council correspondence seen by The Advertiser in response to Ms Askwith’s request reveals they refused the tree’s removal, and said she would be allowed to remove 30 per cent of the branches every year at a cost of $1000 each time.

Both Mr Cittadini and Ms Haack have made numerous complaints of large branches falling over their fence over the years.

The most recent complaint from Ms Haack was prompted by a branch the size of her backyard pool falling in her yard.

“The last two times branches have come down, the person under them would’ve died, there’s no question in my mind about it,” Ms Haack said.

“The bottom line is, what does it take for action to be taken, does somebody have to die or be maimed before somebody sees a sensible and reasoned approach?

“We’re left with our hands tied … everybody is in agreement that sadly the tree really shouldn’t remain there because of the risk to safety, and yet you can’t do anything.”

Norwood, Payneham and St Peters Mayor Robert Bria said the city’s arborist would inspect the tree after a development application requesting its removal had been lodged.

It comes after recent fatal incidents involving trees, including the death of Surrey Downs man Wayne Couch on December 12, where a tree fell on to the 57-year-old’s pergola, killing him.

Crafers woman Judy Ditter died on November 5, when a tree branch fell crushing her car while she was driving on Mount Barker Road at Stirling.