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ABC News
a day ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Removal of mature trees on properties may be impacted by WA State Administrative Tribunal ruling
A "landmark" court decision could make it harder for West Australian property owners to remove mature trees on their land, and see them risk hefty fines, a legal expert and environmental advocates say. The decision, handed down in the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) this week, relates to the right of a property owner in the western Perth suburb of City Beach to remove a mature tuart tree from her backyard as part of a new home build. The local council, the Town of Cambridge, issued an approval for the development to go ahead late last year, but then a few months later adopted a policy of protecting large trees in order to maintain the area's green canopy. Following community protest, the council then told the resident that she could not cut the tree down, which she challenged in the SAT. The tribunal this week ruled in the landowner's favour. But it also determined that removal of a single tree on private property may be classed as "development", something planning law expert Alex McGlue said was not previously part of the state's planning rules and that could have ramifications for homeowners. "Historically, the concept of development was more associated with physical work, such as constructing a building, or using premises for a particular business purpose," he said. "What the SAT has reasoned is that the works associated with removing this tree would have had a significant visual impact and an impact on the amenity of the surrounds, and therefore constituted development." Mr McGlue, a partner in the WA legal firm Lavan Planning, Environment and Land Compensation team, said this meant homeowners would need to approach their local government before they removed large trees from their land, or risk prosecution. "Breaching a planning requirement it is a criminal offence," he said. He said in the wake of this decision, local governments would need to formally organise their rules for landowners. "I would recommend that every local government in the state be immediately adopting local planning policies too, because local planning policies can set out exemptions from what requires development approval," he said. Mr McGlue said councils could, for example, provide automatic exemptions for approval of the removal of trees under a certain height. The property owner at the centre of the SAT decision, Lisa Zorzi, said she bought the land to build a home for her family. She wanted to remove the tree because she felt it was not able to be maintained, and was worried it posed safety risks to her and her neighbours. She also had trouble getting insurance given the breadth of the canopy. Ms Zorzi is worried the legal implications that may flow from her taking her case to the SAT, despite it ruling in her favour, could impact other property owners negatively. "They're going to have to put up with that for the rest of their life, or the time they own that property, which is really scary for someone who's invested a lot of their livelihood into [a] property in WA." The WA Local Government Association welcomed the SAT's decision, saying it supported its view that the removal of a single tree should require approval. "WALGA has for many years been calling for stronger protections of trees on private land," WALGA president Karen Chappel said in a statement. WALGA's policy, so far adopted by six councils across Perth including the Town of Cambridge, sets out rules for which trees should be preserved. These include: The West Australian Tree Canopy Advocates (WATCA) group also lauded the SAT's ruling as a "landmark" precedent. WATCA chair Sarah Allchurch said it gave local planning policies "real teeth". "It means no one can bust out the chainsaws and clear-fell trees over 8 metres, because the trees are deemed to be a community asset, even on private land," Ms Allchurch said.
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Tornado strikes Australia's exclusive suburb
Multi-million dollar houses and flashy cars have been destroyed after a freak tornado left a trail of destruction in one of Perth's most affluent suburbs. Incredible footage showed the wild weather hit City Beach just after 5pm on Wednesday with prime real estate in the coastal suburb bearing the brunt of the force. A huge waterspout was seen forming over the ocean near the City Beach oval before the tornado tore through the city ripping off roofs and downing trees. City Beach resident Tilly told ABC Radio Perth she felt like the house 'was about to fly away' as she watched the havoc unfold outside while sitting in her dining room. 'I literally just looked up through the window and saw a tornado,' she said. 'There was like a column of swirling wind, there was things flying in the air, bits of roof flying, tree branches, rubbish and it was all quite high up in the air, above the tree line. When I saw the bits of roof flying, I was worried it was going to come through the window, so I actually ducked under the table at one stage.' The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) received more than 100 calls for help. A Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman said its initial assessment of footage and radar observations indicate the wild weather was likely a tornado. 'Australia experiences 30 to 80 tornadoes each year, but it is possible that many more tornadoes occur in remote, unpopulated parts of Australia and therefore go unreported,' she said. 'During the cool season, there is an average of around five tornadoes reported in southwest Western Australia.' The Bureau said predicting tornadoes is difficult and specific warnings are only issued if signs consistent with tornadoes occurring are visible on radars or direct observations are received. In 2016, at least 7 tornadoes affected South Australia, leading to a state-wide power outage.
News.com.au
24-07-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
Tornado rips through Perth's City Beach, destroying multimillion-dollar homes
A freak so-called tornado has left an incredible trail of destruction in one of Perth's most prestigious suburbs, destroying multimillion-dollar homes and leaving streets resembling war zones. Wild weather hit the city on Wednesday afternoon, in particular City Beach, where several homes lost their roofs and experienced other severe damage. Video footage shows the path of chaos starting at City Beach Oval and then into the suburb, with roofs off properties, trees strewn across the road and fences down. One City Beach family left without a roof on their multimillion-dollar home. The family of four were at home on Kalari Drive relaxing on the couch when the wind gust ripped away the roof of the master bedroom, making room for rain to pour onto the furniture. Solar panels which were attached to the roof flew onto the neighbours roofs and into their backyards. Fortunately, nobody was hurt. The family was looking for a hotel to book on Wednesday night and until the damage is repaired. 'I heard a huge bang and I thought all the windows would implode,' one family member said. Another family living nearby on Marapana Road watched their backyard get crumpled by falling trees. 'I was just sitting in the kitchen, and I was looking out into our backyard, the pool area and this whole lot of darkness just filled up the air,' the homeowner, who did not want to be named, said. 'It was obviously dust and debris... it was pretty wild. 'There was a lot of rain and a lot of wind, it was torrential, it was very heavy. 'We went outside when it cooled down a little bit, and we've got trees from next door that have fallen in, we've got two other property's fences caved in, we've got people's chairs, people's bins just come out of nowhere. 'Our yard is demolished basically.' Video footage shows a cloud formation in the sky which appears to look like a tornado, however authorities are yet to officially confirm. The damage left at City Beach's Lentara Crescent was extreme. Big trees fell across the road, rendering it almost undriveable. A fence was completely torn from the side of one house and thrown towards the other side of the street. The roof of a carport was caved in, with bricks toppled onto the road and windows of the home smashed. State Emergency Service crews were seen at the home doing their best to secure what they could. A strong wind warning was in place on Wednesday night for the Perth coast. The trail of destruction left by a 'freak' tornado on Wednesday, Swanbourne had experienced 20.2mm of rain since 9am on Wednesday, with a wind gust of 50km/h recorded just before 4pm. Meanwhile, wind gusts of 76km/h were recorded at Rottnest Island and 73km/h at Garden Island. Main Roads WA was warning motorists to take care on Wednesday evening, with the Causeway flooded after Adelaide Terrace in the city. The Weather Bureau is forecasting a maximum temperature of just 14C in Perth on Thursday, with a chance of a thunderstorm near the coast in the early morning. Last year, a tornado caused major damage to dozens of homes when it tore through Bunbury.
ABC News
24-07-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
A tornado caused significant damage when it tore through City Beach. Supplied: Georgia King
Georgia King captured this video of the destruction caused by a tornado in City Beach. 24/7/25
Daily Mail
24-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Tornado tears through one of Australia's ritziest suburbs, ripping roofs off homes and uprooting trees
Multi-million dollar houses and flashy cars have been destroyed after a freak tornado left a trail of destruction in one of Perth 's most affluent suburbs. Incredible footage showed the wild weather hit City Beach just after 5pm on Wednesday with prime real estate in the coastal suburb bearing the brunt of the force. A huge waterspout was seen forming over the ocean near the City Beach oval before the tornado tore through the city ripping off roofs and downing trees. City Beach resident Tilly told ABC Radio Perth she felt like the house 'was about to fly away' as she watched the havoc unfold outside while sitting in her dining room. 'I literally just looked up through the window and saw a tornado,' she said. 'There was like a column of swirling wind, there was things flying in the air, bits of roof flying, tree branches, rubbish and it was all quite high up in the air, above the tree line. 'When I saw the bits of roof flying, I was worried it was going to come through the window, so I actually ducked under the table at one stage.' Another resident, Carlene, said she didn't see the storm coming but the sound of the wind outside was 'extraordinary.' 'All of a sudden, we heard this amazing, like, a roar, like a jet engine … the wind came through the house,' she told the radio station. 'The next door neighbour's trees are split in half.' The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) received more than 100 calls for help. A Bureau of Meteorology spokeswoman said its initial assessment of footage and radar observations indicate the wild weather was likely a tornado. 'Australia experiences 30 to 80 tornadoes each year, but it is possible that many more tornadoes occur in remote, unpopulated parts of Australia and therefore go unreported,' she said. 'During the cool season, there is an average of around five tornadoes reported in southwest Western Australia.' She said there are two main types of tornadoes - supercells and non-supercells. 'Radar observations suggest this tornado may have been associated with a small supercell, although the mechanism is not actually clear-cut.' The Bureau said predicting tornadoes is difficult and specific warnings are only issued if signs consistent with tornadoes occurring are visible on radars or direct observations are received. In 2016, at least 7 tornadoes affected South Australia, leading to a state-wide power outage.
