Concerns over removal of trees in Mt Waverley

The first thing that drew Rocco Di Mieri to live in Mt Waverley was the trees and greenery.But what has been a drawcard for so many people is slowly being eroded — ironically by those seeking that very same experience.

Gwynne St in Mt Waverley is well treed — for now. Picture: Google Street View

The first thing that drew Rocco Di Mieri to live in Mt Waverley was the trees and greenery.

But what has been a drawcard for so many people is slowly being eroded — ironically by those seeking that very same experience.

A White St resident of 32 years, Mr Di Mieri said he was becoming increasingly despondent about the state of the suburb.

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“They are destroying what was a beautiful area of Mt Waverley,” he said.

“I do believe the people who have come to live in this beautiful green belt are just seeing it diminish and going before our eyes.”

Friends of Damper Creek group members Doug Scott, John Poppins and Freya Headlam work to maintain the natural habitat of the area. Picture: Stuart Milligan

He said Planning Minister Richard Wynne and Monash Council were not doing enough to stop developers were cutting down trees.

Mr Di Mieri said he was seeing it happen just beyond his own backyard.

His house backs on to two Gwynne St properties for which there have been development applications and trees cut down.

While a permit for the removal of five trees was issued for 8 Gwynne St by Monash Council, which also required the replacement of four canopy trees, two significant trees were later removed without approval.

Monash Mayor Shane McCluskey said two penalties were issued, totalling $3172, and two extra trees to be planted.

“The community is genuinely concerned about the removal of vegetation across Monash and so are we,’’ Cr McCluskey said.

“One of the main complaints we receive at the council is about loss of vegetation on land when it is developed, especially the ‘moonscaping’ of blocks for single houses where all vegetation is cleared before development.

“While we welcome the growth of Monash, we need to ensure this doesn’t come at the cost of our much-loved greenery.”

Rebecca Thistleton, a spokeswoman for Mr Wynne, said open space in residential areas was important for neighbourhood character and liveability.

A study last year found the tree canopy in Monash had dropped from 26 per cent to 22 per cent from 1992 to 2015, with Mt Waverley the most severely affected, falling 20 per cent in that time.

A Monash Council strategy aims to increase canopy vegetation to 30 per cent by 2030.

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