03-04-2025
Aussie neighbours celebrate as council backflips on 'appalling' tree plan
An Aussie council has backflipped on a controversial decision to remove a towering tree. The decision follows an angry response from residents who waged a sustained campaign to save the weeping fig that had sheltered their Sydney street for decades.
Yahoo News first reported on Randwick City Council's plan on March 6. Its councillors were accused of rushing through the decision after an apartment owner complained roots from the 24-metre-high giant were damaging his lawn, fence and driveway.
On Thursday night, residents of Quail Street, Clovelly broke open champagne and celebrated under the tree. Local woman Zoë Wilesmith told Yahoo News the council's decision was 'a common sense reversal' of what had been an 'appalling' plan.
'I can't tell you the high, honestly. It's absolutely fantastic… They certainly underestimated the community of Quail Street,' she said.
Another resident Maria Bradley said supporters of the tree received emails from Aussies 'far and wide'. 'They could see that the tree didn't need to have come down,' she said.
Petrana Lorenz, whose apartment looks out onto the tree said, "this decision is a win for the tree, a win for our community, but most of all it's a win for showing that it's worth fighting for what's right".
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Council had previously claimed it had no choice but to cut down the tree because its insurance agency would not cover future liability if it proceeded with the resident's damage claim. But residents commissioned their own independent engineering and arborist reports which disputed the tree was responsible.
'Something had clearly gone wrong with council procedures for it to have got to the point of removing the tree. Anybody with two eyes and half a brain could see that there was no property damage caused by the tree,' Zoe said.
Residents now plan to create a "how to" guide to support other residents fighting councils that want to destroy trees.
Following the uproar from residents, councillors met for an extraordinary general meeting last week to hear from residents and reevaluate the tree's future. But the meeting concluded with them voting once again to cut it down.
This prompted Professor Sarah Bekessy from RMIT and the Biodiversity Council to call for mature trees in cities to be federally protected because they are being destroyed at a rapid rate.
'There's always an excuse for getting rid of a tree, whether it's safety or damage to infrastructure. But that's just missing the point about their enormous benefits,' she told Yahoo News.
Residents were preparing to take the matter to the NSW Land and Environment Court, when council backflipped on its decision. They had requested internal documents from council, so they could scrutinise the process that led to the removal plan.
In a statement, the council's mayor Dylan Parker said it had reached an agreement with its insurer, Statewide Mutual, to obtain partial insurance cover for the tree.
'This positive change of circumstance means that our risk exposure has now been reduced to a level that no longer requires removal of the tree,' he said.
'While some branch pruning of trees may still be required, this is an excellent outcome which I am confident the community will be pleased by as it in practice saves the tree.'
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