Plane Tree Management

Council’s Response to the Concerned Inverell Ratepayers’ Association

At the April 2016 Council Meeting, the Councillors considered another report on Plane Tree Management in the Inverell Town Centre. Read this report.

This report was initiated by the completion of an Arborist’s Report prepared for the Concerned Inverell Ratepayers’ Association. View the CIRA’s Arborist report here.

All Councillors who were present agreed that the ‘inappropriately planted Plane trees’ were causing significant problems and needed to be replaced in a ‘staged process’. As a consequence of this position, the following resolution was passed:

31/16 RESOLVED (Michael/Johnston) that the Concerned Inverell Ratepayers Association be advised that:

i) Council has considered the report by New Leaf Arboriculture (NLA), including the suggested treatments for existing Plane trees in the Inverell CBD;

ii) Council will proceed with the staged replacement of inappropriately planted Plane trees for the following reasons:

• The NLA suggested treatment for the Plane trees will result in the loss of 50 car parking spaces in Otho and Byron Streets, the reduction of footpath area, the loss of crossing points and the impractical nature of retrofitting the suggested treatments,
• The costs that would be incurred in managing the interaction of trees and CBD infrastructure,
• The significant future impacts on the community that would occur if the issues caused by the inappropriately planted Plane trees were not addressed now.

iii) The possible use of Red Maples as edge planting to create the required urban canopy be referred to the TCRP Sunset Committee for consideration and report back to Council.

Plane Tree Damage Photos

(Taken from the Plane Tree Management Inverell Town Centre Report – April 2016)