The felling of a century-old magnolia tree from the boundary of two multimillion-dollar Victorian-style homes has ignited fury among locals in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
The towering tree sat directly between a five-bedroom villa and a semi-detached home in Waverley, the trunk bisecting the boundary fence.
The large magnolia tree was estimated to have stood for a century. Credit:
Now in its place remains a stump.
The owner of the five-bedroom stately home, David Thompson, was infuriated to discover his beloved tree, which he believes to be 100 years old, was destroyed while he was away in January.
It’s the latest instance of tree damage to spark outrage in Sydney, after several palm trees were poisoned in Tamarama and a person dubbed the “Allman Park serial killer” poisoned trees in Ashfield.
In Waverley, the culprit was identified by council as home owner Marco Fanuli, who along with his wife had recently acquired the home from his parents.
Fanuli was fined $3000, the maximum available to council, and the tree loppers fined $6000 for destroying the tree. But he says the decision to remove the tree was made for safety reasons.
All that remained after Fanuli engaged tree loppers to cut down the magnolia.Credit:
Thompson was outraged. The tree, to him, was worth far more than a $3000 fine; it provided not only shade from its canopy but much-needed privacy from his neighbours, he said.
“We’re devastated by the sort of brazen nature of the environmental vandalism that has taken place, we’re horrified by it,” he said.
Marco Fanuli oversees the shredding of the tree branches.Credit:
Another neighbour, Maxwell Munro, believes the fine is not enough to deter people from removing inconvenient trees.
“It was a beautiful tree – home to many birds and wildlife, and vital to the local ecosystem,” he said.
“Since its removal, we’ve noticed a decrease in birdlife – something that brings real joy to me, my family and no doubt many others in the community. This loss is irreversible.”
Fanuli does not see it that way. He said the trunk of the tree, being a metre from their home, was on a lean and towered over their roof.
“After the intense storm in January that brought down lots of trees across Sydney, a number of large branches fell on our house. They significantly damaged our roof and caused us to fear for our safety living directly under such a large old tree,” he said.
“While we urgently did what was necessary for our safety after the storm, I did notify council of our intention to remove the tree and submitted an official permit application the day prior. I understand it wasn’t enough time for formal approval to be given; however, we felt the ongoing risk to our home was too high to wait.”
This photograph shows the trunk of the magnolia tree next to Marco Fanuli’s home. Credit:
Fanuli has put the home up for auction later this month, and a key selling point will be the recently approved development application, which allows construction of a second storey.
An independent arborist report commissioned during the DA process determined the tree was healthy, and was to be protected during any future construction.
Protection of the tree was a factor in council’s determination of the DA.
Neighbours have called on the council to take further action against Fanuli. If a council is successful in prosecuting a case in the Land and Environment Court, the fines given out can be much higher – the maximum for an individual is $1 million.
A spokesperson for Waverley Council said it was considered unlikely that court action would result in a higher fine.
Mayor Will Nemesh has joined other Sydney mayors in calling for tougher penalties for tree vandalism.
A state government plan to double the fines for individuals is open for community feedback, and would have fines double to $6000 depending on the age and value of the tree.
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