Trees being planted in Western Sydney to help keep residents cool
EXCLUSIVE: Five million trees are being planted right across Western Sydney in an ambitious move to cool off our overheated city. #ProjectSydney
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FIVE million trees are being planted right across Western Sydney in an ambitious move to cool off our overheated city.
The $230 million plan to put a green canopy over the city is designed to counter criticism of the Berejiklian government’s poor development decisions, which have turned the west into a heat trap.
“When you drive out southwest and west there is a sea of roof tiles and lots of small shrubs — you have the heat island effect out there,” Planning Minister Anthony Roberts said.
“It’s more expensive, you have power issues out there. So in a heatwave it’s hotter than a suburb with a canopy and in winter it’s a lot colder.”
Mr Roberts said tree planting was “the legacy I want to leave and something I’m incredibly passionate about ... we can do more with the greening of Sydney”.
And the proposal has the firm backing of Better Homes And Gardens’ Graham Ross.
“NSW has never had anything like this in scale or in the quality of what we are putting back,” he said.
The Saturday Telegraph understands the plan, to be unveiled in the next few weeks, will double the number of trees in Sydney, with 2.2 million coming from housing developers. They will be asked to contribute at least five new large trees for councils to plant wherever they choose for every new home that is approved.
The remaining 2.8 million trees are expected to come from a new partnership program between the NSW government, local councils and the community at a cost of more than $17.5 million a year for the next 12 years.
“For the first time ever there will be a commissioner whose job will be to co-ordinate the greening,” Mr Roberts said.
It comes ahead of the Greater Sydney Commission’s vision for the next 30 years of the city, which will be unveiled tomorrow.
New open space and parks design co-ordinator commissioner Fiona Morrison said as new roads and rail opened up new developments it is vital to keep our streets green.
“We must also focus on making sure our suburbs and towns are places that we want to live in and are proud of,” she said.
“We can do this by creating parks and open spaces that offer a range of recreation opportunities to enjoy and streets that encourage the community to step out of their homes to go for a walk or a bike ride.”
The planting of five million trees follows the government’s greenfield housing code, unveiled earlier this year, which will give a free tree to be planted in the front and rear yard of every new compliant home.
Mr Roberts said a green canopy over a suburb could cool a house by up to 5C, saving on escalating power bills, and increase the value of a home by up to $50,000.
He drew inspiration for the plan from other green cities such as Singapore which, despite its population being 100 per cent urbanised, has an impressive green covering of around 47 per cent.
“Sydney already is a beautiful place but Singapore is a city built in a garden. I’d like Sydney to be a city growing into a garden,” Mr Roberts said.
“It will provide a corridor between areas we’ve set aside for parklands and bushlands so you don’t have native animals crossing roads. You’ve got a natural corridor.”
He consulted TV gardener Ross about which trees to plant.
“What I have suggested is that we don’t just use native trees, like blue gums, but endemic species that were there on the Cumberland Plains prior to 1788,” Ross said.
He said there were still clumps of original iron bark trees that would provide the basis for nurseries to plant and grow the green canopy.
“I never anticipated something like this in my lifetime,” Ross said. “It is world class.”
Belinda Martin, a horticulturalist at Plants Plus in the Cumberland Forest, was delighted with the plans.
“We really need to produce a natural environment for our wildlife,” she said.
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