Central Coast Council tree removal rules require more qualified arborists

Highly qualified consulting arborists will now be required to decide if a tree can be removed on the Central Coast and it will come at a hefty cost to the applicant.

A new tree and vegetation management policy has been adopted by Central Coast Council.

Tree removal requests will have to be assessed by highly qualified arborists costing as much as $1500 under new vegetation management rules adopted by Central Coast Council.

Under the change adopted by council at its latest meeting, when there is a request for tree removal, trade arborists who charge around $300 will be replaced by more highly qualified consulting arborists who can take up to a week to prepare a written report.

The policy was among a raft of changes recently adopted by council designed to bring in a consistent approach to managing trees and other vegetation across the former Gosford and Wyong council areas.

Culturally significant trees like this one on Davistown Waterfront will be protected. Picture: Therese Elsey (@thereseelseyphotography).

Other changes include expanding Gosford’s resister of significant trees into the old Wyong Shire and compulsory replacement of removed trees with equivalent replacement plantings.

The new shire wide rules are known by the weird title Development Control Plan Chapter XX and will be inserted into the existing plans.

Chapter XX went on public exhibition for a month earlier this year with a total of 206 submissions.

According to a report tabled at the recent council meeting, 88.35 per cent of submissions wanted council to maintain a policy which “protects and enhances the environmental qualities” of the region.

Almost 90 per cent of submissions voted to protect the Central Coast’s environmental qualities.

More than 70 per cent of submissions argued there was a “conflict of interest” where tree removal permits were issued by the same trade arborists who might also be contracted to do the work.

During discussions Councillor Doug Vincent likened the process to “leaving the fox in charge of the hen house”.

Cr Jillian Hogan said qualified council arborists were in a better position to decide if a tree should be removed.

“Otherwise we’ll end up with hillbillies slashing and burning our trees,” she said.

Cr Troy Marquart said using higher qualified arborists would not only cost ratepayers more but would make it more difficult to removed “dangerous “ trees.

Development Control Plan Chapter “XX” — Tree and Vegetation Management will be inserted as Chapter 3.6 within the Wyong Development Control Plan 2013 and Chapter 6.6 within the Gosford Development Control Plan 2013.