Residents on Anderson Rd in Fawkner call on Merri-bek council to chop down ‘dangerous’ trees

Merri-bek residents are terrified the trees on their street are a “disaster waiting to happen”.

Fawkner residents living on Anderson Rd near Sydney Rd are afraid the trees on that road are a "disaster waiting to happen". Picture: Himangi Singh

Residents in Melbourne’s north are terrified the trees on their street are a “disaster waiting to happen”.

Residents of Anderson Rd near Sydney Rd in Fawkner are concerned the trees at the end of their street are too low-hanging, old and “precarious” and need to be “chopped off” before someone is killed.

Fawkner residents say the trees are too low-hanging. Picture: Himangi Singh

Fawkner resident Joanne, who did not want her surname published, said “something had to be done about the trees”.

Having lived in the suburb for more than 20 years, the woman said she was so afraid a branch might break in the wind and smash through her car’s windscreen that she avoided driving on Anderson Rd altogether.

Residents say they are too scared to drive past the Anderson Rd on windy days because of the trees. Picture: Himangi Singh

“Council needs to do something about the trees before something really does happen and it kills somebody. It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” she said.

“Something needs to be done. Council need to chop at least the parts hanging over the road from where the cars go through.”

It comes days after extreme weather shook Victoria with wild winds, causing schools and offices across to close down.

The ravaging winds uprooted multiple trees across the state, with a woman killed and one man miraculously survived after a giant tree crashed onto his caravan.

Anderson Rd residents say the trees are a “disaster waiting to happen". Picture: Himangi Singh

Fawkner residents also took to social media asking other residents if they thought the trees should be chopped down, with more than 20 people agreeing to the dangers of it.

“I’m on Anderson Rd and a tree branch out the front of my house fell a few months ago onto my fence and over the foot path. If someone had been walking they would have been killed,” Fil Luce wrote.

“Council investigated the tress said it was safe not to be chopped down.”

Tree fallen on the boundary of a house on Anderson Rd. Picture: Supplied.

Nella Di Benedetto said she was “scared” every time she drove up the road.

“They have looked precarious for more years than I can remember, they are an eyesore as well, who plants huge trees under power lines, councils that’s who,” Raelene Nevill said.

Anderson St resident Ib Dagan said council had inspected the trees on the street but deemed them safe.

“Council does not care and would hardly ever cut a tree or even trim it … one day someone will get hurt or seriously injured. (Also), if a tree falls and damages your fence, who pays to repair it,” he said.

Merri-bek City councillor Oscar Yildiz said the low-hanging trees had been “an issue for years” and the council was failing to execute trimming trees in a proper and safe manner.

“Residents are complaining every single day about councils trees and their branches are leaning over their properties and destroying private property,” he said.

“I think it’s ridiculous that we’re just going out there and just touching trees; we’re not pruning them to the expectation of the residents.

Merri-bek councillor Oscar Yildiz. Picture: Supplied

“We have this policy to send out our staff to trim trees but trimming trees doesn’t mean cutting two pieces of a tree and then, and that’s it. We need to actually do a responsible job.”

Mr Yildiz said he believed the trees on Anderson Rd “posed a risk”.

“‘I’m not against trees … but we are not listening to resident needs. You can’t value the tree more than human life,” he said.

However, a Merri-bek City spokeswoman said the trees on Anderson Rd were checked by a qualified arborist after the storm this week who found they were in “good health”.

“No trees displayed damage or weakening from the wind storm. These trees have been pruned over the years to keep a safe distance from the powerlines and are structurally sound,” she said.

“The trees of Anderson Rd in Fawkner, like all trees in Merri-bek, are important assets that contribute to the liveability, health and wellbeing of the community.

“Council is respectful of community views and concerns regarding trees and will always respond to concerns in a timely manner.”