More freedom to cut down trees causing property damage on horizon
A Sydney council may uproot tree chopping rules to give residents more freedom to axe trees causing damage to property.
Inner West
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TREE chopping rules may be uprooted to give residents more freedom to axe trees causing damage to property.
Inner West Council is pushing ahead with a review of how it manages trees while trying to strike a balance between protecting the public and property, increasing urban canopy and addressing the often prohibitive cost of removing and maintaining the region’s leafy giants.
The overhaul will consider community feedback on ten options including a controversial proposal to allow “informal” applications where staff can approve the removal of a dead or dying tree in writing based on photographic evidence.
The Institute of Australian Consulting Arboriculturist’s Jacki Brown feared this would encourage tree poisonings to clear the way for development or better views in areas like Balmain.
“And very importantly, if there is no formal application process, then these trees may never be replaced,” she said.
The Institute generally agreed the proposals would “make the rules around trees easier to navigate and fairer for the Inner West community”.
But it also opposed an option to allow removal of trees within 500mm of primary dwellings without an application to council if root damage was clearly demonstrated. This would only apply to trees less than 300mm in diameter.
“There are cases where trees can coexist in proximity to structures without damage,” Ms Brown said.
“There are of course some situations where trees near buildings are problematic, however these situations are already reasonably dealt with through the tree application process. “Increased exemptions for tree removals will increase the rate of tree loss, as has been seen in other council areas where tree rules have been weakened.”
But others didn’t feel the proposal went far enough, with one respondent suggesting the distance be increased to two metres during community consultation.
But Cr Julie Passas, who pushed for the review, said the council made it far too difficult and expensive to remove trees which were dangerous and damaging property.
“Three people in the inner west have died as a result of falls on footpaths that were lifted up by tree roots,” Cr Passas said.
She said a proposal for tree application pensioner discounts should be extended to all low income families.
Haberfield’s Linda Viskovic earlier told the Courier her brother died from injuries he sustained from tripping over the roots of a camphor laurel in 2009 despite multiple attempts to have it removed.
Cr Passas also successfully called for an LGA-wide mail out, to be sent out in five languages, encouraging submissions on the proposed changes to keep people informed.
This will happen around January or February next year.
“This issue affects everyone; it’s as important as rates and yet hardly anyone knows about it,” she said.
Stacey Speer, of Dulwich Hill, said there had been multiple failed attempts to remove a 40 metre-high Norfolk pine which had destroyed her backyard and caused extensive flooding issues.
“The root bump is now almost a meter high and cracked our shed flooring … causing sewerage to flow from the tank behind us up into our backyard,” she said.
Massive roots created a trip hazard while “toxic” sap and continually falling needles have created an unsafe environment for a baby—Ms Speer and her partner are expecting “any day now”.
Root barriers can cost up to $10,000 each time and they were unable to afford a $5000 arborist report, she said.
On Loftus St in Leichhardt, a mature paperbark has pushed out the kerb and already caused cracking in the footpath which only only been laid two to three years ago.
Resident Mary-Helen Ward said: “I’m not romantic about a particular tree — it has to be the right tree for the right place. The council should plant trees which are more suited to the narrow footpath and the closeness to the kerb.”
The Greens successfully pushed for the establishment of a significant tree register to be considered in 2019-2020 budget and for a report to be prepared on ways a tree management grant system could be funded to help residents maintain valuable canopy on private property.
Other options being considered:
-Giving pensioners a 50 per cent discount on tree assessment applications
-Canopy percentage targets for new development areas; Town centres: 15 per cent, Medium to High Density and Industrial: 25 per cent, Low density: 40 per cent.
-Axing the $220 notification fee for tree removal in the old Leichhardt municipality and expanding web notification to the whole LGA
-Adjusting the assessment criteria for tree removal on the basis of risk
-Include in assessment criteria a requirement for the consideration of future structural damage
-Remove mandatory requirement for arborist reports in Heritage Conservation Areas and Items — the reports will only be required when there’s a need to demonstrate a technical aspect of the application.
Read the options from page 66 of the September 25 agenda.