Darebin Council may fine land owners for removing or pruning large trees

A council plan to protect trees on private properties means owners could pick up fines of more than $2000 for doing the wrong thing.

Darebin Council will require property owners to get permission to cut down trees of a certain size.

Property owners would be required to get permission to chop down their own trees under a new policy from Darebin Council.

Not obtaining a permit to carry out work on their trees could earn the owner more than $2000 in fines and a conviction in court.

PROTECTED TREES AT STATION FACE AXE

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Treeincarnation arborists manager Henry Blackburn said the policy would bring the council in line with others in Melbourne but the size requirements were on the “stricter side”. “(That size) is a lot more common than you’d think,” he said.

Trees will be protected if the trunk circumference is more than 125cm and it’s more than 8m tall.

If an owner wants to “prune, remove or do anything that could result in damage” to the tree they must obtain a $200 council permit.

IF THERE’S NO ROOM FOR A REPLACEMENT ON THE PROPERTY, THE COUNCIL WILL PLANT ONE ON PUBLIC LAND FOR A $486 FEE.

This includes digging around its roots.

But the real problem may lie with a protected zone around the tree, equal to 12 times the diameter of the tree trunk.

Mr Blackburn said if owners or neighbours wanted to put in a pool or a driveway that was within the zone, they would need an arborist report and tree management plan, costing thousands of dollars.

“Typically it doesn’t go down too well,” he said.

If permission was granted for a tree removal it would need to be replaced by a council-specified tree. And if there was no room for a replacement on the property, the council would plant one on public land for a $486 fee.

Darebin Mayor Susan Rennie said the policy was an answer to increasing density in the municipality and to community requests to protect trees being removed to make way for development.

The council does not have an estimate for how many trees will be impacted but based on the current rate of planning applications, expects about 15 permit applications a month.

A permit would not be required if a council officer decided the work was “minor pruning” or the tree was posing an immediate risk to people or property.

If council officers believed there had been a breach of this law, they would be allowed to enter private property to inspect the protected tree.

@richardapearce

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