Latest news with #AlisonXamon
West Australian
20 hours ago
- Health
- West Australian
At least 300 trees to be cleared from Hyde Park as part of shot-hole borer blitz
At least 300 trees are set to be cleared from the Hyde Park islands as part of a blitz to eradicate the polyphagous shot-hole borer. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development on Wednesday said it was working with the City of Vincent to remove up to 300 host plants — including native and non-WA native trees — from the lake's two islands over the next four to six weeks. DPIRD would not confirm how many infected trees had been removed since works began on May 19. 'The only WA native species on the Hyde Park islands are Melaleuca rhaphiophylla and Eucalyptus rudis,' a spokesperson told The West. 'Other species being removed include eastern states Casuarina spp. Melaleuca spp. and Eucalyptus spp. and non-native woody weeds including Erythrina x sykesii and Ficus sp.' The PSHB — which is native to southeast Asia — is a small beetle which burrows into trees and infects them with a fungus that slowly kills them from the inside. The only way to eradicate the beetle is to remove the infected trees. 'DPIRD is continuing to work in close collaboration with the City of Vincent to manage PSHB in Hyde Park, as part of the nationally funded and coordinated emergency bio-security response,' the spokesperson said. 'PSHB surveillance and management will continue in Hyde Park to protect the high value fig and London plane trees.' Thirteen infested trees at Hyde Park have already been removed, with another 33 pruned to their limit. A further 45 have been treated with insecticides as part of an ongoing chemical trial. City of Vincent mayor Alison Xamon said she was 'deeply saddened' to hear the beetle had burrowed its way onto the lake's islands. She said the city would plant up to 4000 new plants and mature trees on the lake's islands. 'Losing the tree is the last thing anyone wants to see, but DPIRD have determined this precaution is necessary to stop the borer spreading to other healthy trees at the park,' Ms Xamon told The West. 'Following DPIRD's works, we will be acting quickly on our three-year restoration program which has been formed in partnership with industry experts. 'About 4000 new plants, that will be resilient to the borer and climate change, will be planted on the islands this winter including mature trees. 'We previously restored the eastern island in 2012, which gives us confidence that our program will see the islands flourish again.' It comes just days after the State Government announced local councils could apply for the first round of its WA Tree Recovery Local Government Grant Program. Councils can receive up to $1140 in funding for each tree that is removed as a result of PSHB, but the City of Vincent is yet to apply for funding. PSHB has been confirmed in more than 80 suburbs across Perth since it was first detected in August 2021.
Perth Now
28-05-2025
- General
- Perth Now
More mature trees to be removed from beloved Perth park
More trees are set to be planted on City of Vincent streets as work continues to remove trees infected with the polyphagous shot-hole borer from the Hyde Park islands. Some surrounding trees will also be pruned during the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's work to remove bore-infested trees. 'Losing trees is the last thing anyone wants to see, but this precaution is being taken to stop the borer spreading to healthy trees in Hyde Park,' the City of Vincent said on its website. Your local paper, whenever you want it. It said the focus was now on rehabilitating the islands as quickly as possible, ensuring the 'long-term beauty and health of the park'. More trees are set to be planted on City of Vincent streets as work continues to remove trees infected with the polyphagous shot-hole borer from the Hyde Park islands. Credit: Sophie Gannon A three-year restoration program for the islands includes planting 4000 plants, including mature trees, throughout winter to help the canopy recover as soon as possible. The city plans to replace trees lost from the islands. The removals started last week, during which the city also announced the start of its annual planting season. About 450 trees will be planted across streetscapes and verges, 165 more than last year with help from a State Government Urban Greening Grant. City of Vincent mayor Alison Xamon and acting senior technical officer Ben Bevan from the parks team. Credit: Luke Riley A range of native and climate-friendly species from eucalyptus to melaleuca will be planted from May to September. Mayor Alison Xamon said they would help increase the city's urban canopy. 'Trees provide many benefits to the community, such as essential habitat for local wildlife, biodiversity, shade, mitigating the impact of climate change, better amenity and walkability in residential areas,' she said. Ms Xamon said the new plants were not preferred or reproductive hosts of the polyphagous shot-hole borer. City of Vincent residents who would like to request a new or additional verge tree for next year's planting season can fill in an online form before September 30 on the city's website.
Perth Now
21-05-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Why Perth locals are covering this fence in dirty socks
A quirky sock-covered fence has become the latest symbol of community frustration in North Perth, as locals ramp up their protest against the controversial 24/7 service station proposed for Angove Street. Dozens of dirty socks cover the fence of the unused site at 41-43 Angove Street, a peaceful but meaningful protest aimed at the proposed development of a 24-hour petrol station by South Australian-based company On the Run. City of Vincent mayor Alison Xamon said that the protest is a non-violent direct action by community members in protest of an inappropriate proposal. Your local paper, whenever you want it. 'The community is fed up and frustrated that their legitimate concerns are not being heeded, and this is a creative way to get their message across. It is obviously getting to the proponents, which is why they keep sending people out to take the socks down,' she said. The proposed location is within 50m of North Perth Primary School. Credit: Supplied Ms Xamon described the street as a 'well-loved and popular pedestrian-friendly hub' with an abundance of shops, cafes and restaurants. 'It is not a suitable location for a 24/7 service station,' she said. Sally Baker, North Perth resident and member of the local campaign Stop The Station, said the fight had been going on for two years. 'We just want the community to know we're still fighting, so we did the dirty socks to raise awareness that it's ongoing and we're not stopping,' she said. 'OTR want it to be like Bunnings — completely take over. Their main thing is 24/7 service with a convenience store that actually makes more money than the petrol.' She also shared health concerns residents have due to the proximity to North Perth Primary School and many homes. 'There's proven research that benzene is in the air around petrol stations and we're all going to suffer,' Ms Baker said. 'The EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) recommends 100m from sensitive land uses, but this is just 50m from the primary school. Local campaigners outside the site on Angove Street. Credit: Facebook / Stop the Station 'My apartment block butts up against the site, like 5m. The risk of cancer, especially leukaemia in children, doubles when living close to service stations. That's a fact.' The group has organised a petition, protests and letter drops to raise awareness and now waits anxiously for an outcome from the State Administrative Tribunal. The petition currently has more than 1060 signatures. Ms Baker said that a community development, such a cafe with apartments, would be a more suitable option for the area. 'Even something like Chinta would be great,' she said. OTR purchased the site for $3.25 million in 2021. In May 2023 a development application submitted to the Metro-Inner City Joint Development Assessment Panel was rejected and then appealed by the applicant. Dozens of dirty socks cover the fence of the unused site at 41-43 Angove Street, Credit: Supplied 'Our Local Planning Scheme No. 2 also prohibits new service stations from being built in residential, mixed-use and centre zones, including the North Perth town centre,' Ms Xamon said. At the time Ms Xamon said there were already 24/7 petrol stations in the area so there was 'no need for another one in the heart of Angove Street'. 'This has been a controversial issue for a number of years now and we have made it clear that we do not want a service station operating on the vacant site,' she said at the time. Ms Xamon said that the city would 'continue to defend council's decision and represent the community's concerns on a proposed service station operating in the heart of the town centre at future SAT meetings'. PerthNow reached out to OTR but did not receive a response. A mediation meeting between OTR and the DAP is scheduled on June 27 and a preliminary hearing on July 22 and 23.
ABC News
21-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Hyde Park islands to be stripped as shot-hole borer infestation takes hold
Vegetation on the two lake islands at Perth's historic Hyde Park will be cleared over six weeks, after it was found to be heavily infested with polyphagous shot-hole borer. The tiny, invasive, tree-killing pest was detected in 2021 and has since led to the destruction of more than 4,000 trees in the Perth metropolitan area as the state government follows an intensive elimination strategy. Laid out as a classical English garden in 1890 and beloved for its Moreton Bay figs and London Plane trees, Hyde Park has been seriously threatened by the shot-hole borer. Alison Xamon, Mayor of the City of Vincent, which manages the park, said the loss of so many trees was "crushing", but the council believed that removing the trees and implementing a restoration strategy was the best way forward. Because the tiny borer beetles can fly, removal of the island's trees is seen as the best way to stop further spread in the park. "The priority out at Hyde Park is to do everything possible to try to preserve the massive fig trees, which are over 100 years old, and provide the majority canopy at Hyde Park," Ms Xamon said. Vincent Lanoiselet, chief plant biosecurity officer at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), which is managing the state's response to the borer, said complete removal of the affected plants in Hyde Park was the best option. "On those islands, we have coral tree and she-oaks or casuarina. There's a couple of melaleuca as well." Dr Lanoiselet told Mark Gibson on ABC Radio Perth. "That's, unfortunately, the kind of tree that has been found to be infested quite heavily with PSHB [the borer]. Ms Xamon said the efforts to protect the historic Moreton Bay figs had so far been largely successful. "17 months ago, the state government presented us with a scenario where we were about to lose about 20 massive trees," she said. "Since then, City of Vincent has worked really hard, with DPIRD and volunteer arborists from ArbWest, to take a more nuanced response to how we're dealing with the polyphagous shot-hole borer, particularly in the plane trees and the fig trees. "We have had to remove three trees, but the other trees which have been infested, we've been able to simply remove infested limbs rather than going straight to removing the entire tree." Dr Lanoiselet said efforts to treat some of Hyde Park's trees with insecticide were also ongoing. "I can tell you that 45 trees within the park have been treated with contact and systemic insecticide as part of an ongoing chemical trial that we are undertaking with the City of Vincent," he said. The department is also working closely with the City of Canning, in Perth's south, on a trial that involves injecting trees with pellets containing fungicide and insecticide, that has shown promising early results. In the meantime, the council is focusing on rehabilitation efforts. Ms Xamon said the City of Vincent had developed a three-year plan for replanting, involving 4,000 trees and shrubs that would be planted on the islands this winter. "The timing of the removal of the trees is designed to minimise any disruption to the breeding seasons of both the birds and the tortoises that use the islands to breed." The city will have an animal handler on site during the replanting program to protect birds and tortoises that might remain during the replanting program. Ms Xamon has reiterated her calls for more government funding to cover the costs of fighting and rehabilitating council parks affected by the borer, saying the final cost of the restoration is likely to be millions of dollars. "We need to continue to look at addressing this because Hyde Park is not just a park for residents, it's a park for all West Australians."
Perth Now
21-04-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Iconic tennis courts set for stunning redevelopment
Perth's Robertson Park tennis centre is set for its next stage of redevelopment. The City of Vincent will begin works on April 22 converting 12 synthetic turf tennis courts to acrylic hard courts in line with Tennis Australia standards. The central walkway will also be enhanced to incorporate shade structures, seating, drainage and rain gardens with native plants and trees. Your local paper, whenever you want it. The works involve installing 350 lux LED floodlighting, replacing the tennis court fencing, widening the central thoroughfare to 10m and establishing rain gardens with native tree planting, as well as an integrated stormwater drainage system, new shade structures and seating throughout the site. The leisure park upgrades will see expanded public space, new nature play and outdoor experience equipment, lighting, improvements to the dog exercise area, and a new public toilet. Mayor of Vincent Alison Xamon said the works would ensure that Robertson Park met the needs of the community into the future. Robertson Park tennis centre. Credit: COV 'These upgrades will see Robertson Park become a more flexible, multi-use outdoor recreation space suited to the growing and changing needs of our community,' she said. In December last year the centre completed the first stage of developments. The first stage of works involved the refurbishment and conversion of six tennis courts into four multi-sport courts with LED floodlighting and new fencing as well as a dual hit-up wall and half basketball court. 'We are already seeing the benefits . . . it's been fantastic to see the North Perth Dynamites Netball Club now training at Robertson Park,' Ms Xamon said. The Robertson Park development plan was endorsed by council in September 2021 after it identified a need for more flexible, multi-use public open space in Vincent. 'Robertson Park is important not only as Vincent's largest tennis centre but as a much-needed green community space in the inner city,' Ms Xamon said. The upgrades to the tennis centre are being delivered with the support of the State Government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, which has co-funded the construction works. The works are also co-funded by Tennis Australia's National Court Rebate. The tennis centre carpark will remain open to the public throughout the works. This stage of works is expected to be completed late this year.
