When you are developing or doing work on your property there are requirements around trees - find out more here.
When you submit a development application for work on your property, we will assess it, including an inspection of trees and the overall landscape.
This assessment aims to encourage landscape renewal by removing trees that have reached the end of their life and ensuring the planting of replacement trees, applying our 3:1 tree replacement ratio.
We also seek to ensure that healthy trees are protected throughout development so they continue to benefit the site in the future.
When we assess trees for a proposed development, we may provide detailed conditions in line with 'AS 4970 2009 – Protection of trees on development sites' for tree protection as part of the Development Consent. These conditions may relate to trees on your property, trees on your neighbour's property, street trees near your property or other public trees.
We recommend, that as part of your design process, you arrange for any trees on your property to be assessed by an AQF 5 Consulting Arborist. This will help you make the best use of your site with the trees in mind.
When development projects impact trees, our focus is on safeguarding our public trees.
If a public tree must be removed to facilitate the development, we will require its replacement based on our 3:1 tree replacement ratio.
Where a public tree is retained, it must be protected, with certain activities forbidden within the Tree Protection Zone (TPZ). Our standard conditions for public tree protection include:
- The area of Council’s nature strip – excluding a 1200 mm wide pedestrian access corridor along the front boundary of the property, adjacent to the fence – shall be fenced off around the tree, as measured from the centre of the tree trunk prior to the commencement of any demolition. The tree protection fencing is to be constructed of chain wire mesh 1.8m high, supported by steel posts and shall remain in place throughout the duration of site works. See image below as a guide.
The applicant will display, in a prominent location on the fencing of each tree protection zone, a durable, weather-resistant sign of a similar design, layout and type size as per 'Appendix C, Australian Standard AS4970-2009 Protection of trees on development sites', clearly showing:
- The Development Consent number
- The name and contact phone number of the consultant arborist/site manager
- The purpose of the tree protection zone
- No vehicular access, excavations for construction or installation of services shall be carried out within the fenced off Tree Protection Zone.
- All utility services, pipes, stormwater lines and pits shall be located outside the fenced off Tree Protection Zone.
- Building materials, chemical storage, site sheds, wash out areas, waste material and similar shall not be located within the fenced off Tree Protection Zone.
- Trees marked for retention must not be damaged or used to display signage, or as fence or cable supports for any reason.
Where appropriate Council will issue variations of these standard conditions, and our conditions will always be made in accordance with the 'Australian Standard AS4970-2009 Protection of Trees on Development Sites'.
Tree Protection Zones (TPZ) are the most effective way of reducing damage to a tree and are our first preference for tree protection. A fenced-off TPZ will reduce tree access and minimise soil compaction, as well as reducing the likelihood of anything hitting the tree during development.
If a fenced TPZ is not possible, we will consider alternatives such as ground, trunk and branch protection. Both methods are outlined clearly in the 'Australian Standard AS4970-2009 Protection of trees on development sites'. If we provide conditions for these these methods, we will usually require an AQF 5 Consulting Arborist to either design the protection or supervise its implementation and maintenance.
- Ground protection is used to limit soil compaction and damage to tree roots. It's usually done by installing a layer of mulch and covering it with rumble boards or steel plates, depending on the access required. We may also vary this with irrigation and geotextile membranes below the mulch, or other options which promote tree health during its protected period.
- Trunk and branch protection is designed to prevent damage to the tree's bark by using boards and padding to absorb shock from impacts. The padding must provide a good level of impact dispersion. Using hessian matting is not adequate. The boards and padding should be strapped to the tree, not nailed or screwed into the tree.
The use of trunk and branch protection is NOT an alternative to a condition requiring a fenced Tree Protection Zone (TPZ). You should read the development conditions carefully before you begin works. Enforcement action may be taken.
If you need more detailed information about trees and development, refer to our Tree Management Manual.
If you wish to submit a tree report with your development application, or we have requested you to provide one, these are the items that the Consulting Arborist should include:
- Name, address and contact details, ABN, qualifications and experience of the arborist carrying out the inspection and preparing the report.
- The purpose of the report (the brief) and the name, address and contact details of who commissioned the report.
- Address of the property where the trees are located.
- The owner of the property where the trees are located.
- Consideration of all relevant planning laws, regulations and planning instruments pertaining to the property.
- The date the site inspection was undertaken.
- A plan of the site showing the location of the subject trees. The trees are to be numbered to correspond with the report.
- The scope of the inspection and details of the methodology used in the assessment. Council uses Tree AZ for the assessment of trees on development sites. Reports should make reference to this methodology or use a similar and interchangeable system for the assessment of the trees.
- Survey data for the subject trees – including, but not limited to, the scientific and common names; height and crown spread; DBH; approximate age of the tree; the health and condition of the tree; any pests, diseases or structural defects; and any other information relevant to the brief.
- Results of an aerial inspection of the tree if necessary.
- Results of a non-destructive internal inspection of any hollows, cavities or decayed sections if necessary.
- Details of relevant site history and previous work activities that may have impacted on the tree – including previous pruning work, excavation, soil level changes, or construction activity.
- Wildlife habitats, nesting hollows, shelter sites and similar.
- Tree hazard assessment if relevant to the scope of the report. The accepted methodology to be used is that of Matheny & Clark (1994) or the ISA Risk Assessment Manual (Dunster, Smiley, Matheny & Lilly, 2013).
- Supporting documentation where relevant to the aim of the report.
- Photographs of the trees for identification purposes and to illustrate issues discussed in the report.
- A detailed consideration of the management options available to the applicant, e.g. building repairs, tree root barriers, pruning or tree removal.
- A recommendation for the preferred management option. This will require details and discussion of the supporting evidence and observations relied upon to substantiate the conclusions reached. Note: it is not acceptable to declare a tree as unsafe, hazardous or similar, without the necessary supporting evidence.
- Proposed replacement tree planting options, should the recommendation of the report include removal of the subject tree.
This list of requirements is not exhaustive, and other site specific details may need to be assessed to provide adequate information to us to assist in the assessment process.
Reports should be prepared by appropriately qualified Consulting Arborists with an AQF 5 in Arboriculture. We can’t recommend any Consulting Arborists, but we do suggest you look at the lists maintained by Arboriculture Australia and the Institute for Australian Consulting Arboriculturists.