Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Oct 29, 2012 2:07 pm In the last few weeks, the council where I'm building has gone around and put a number of trees in along my new street while construction is going on. Thoughtful of them, I'm sure, with one slight problem: Their choice of planting. Out the front of each house now? A gum tree. Yes, currently only about 2m each, they've put a massive gum tree on each nature strip - those of you not in the know, a small one will easily grow to 10 meters. Given that the soil around this area is likely to be volatile, and we have the added problem of now having a 10 to 60 meter tree growing in our front yards, is there some action people might suggest based on past experience to get the council to reconsider this action before it's too late? At the age of the trees now, they're not too old for replanting and replacing with something more practical - you know, something that's maybe not going to destroy a whole house or car if it falls. Do you think there's any hope in hell of convincing a council to maybe swap them out with something more sensible? Building a Delta 21 at Craigieburn - http://homeofzero.blogspot.com.au/ Deposit: 26/02. Contract: 22/05. Settlement: 29/05. Site start: 18/10. Re: Nature strips and councils choice of trees 2Oct 30, 2012 5:50 am i dont have anything to offer other than sympathy. in my experience, councils lack common sense, preferring to follow their rule book to the letter irrespective of the simplest consequences that even a child can predict. I see a similar approach taken in Sydney. In some places, they have been planted under power lines and when they get to a certain size, the council mangle the tree so that it grows in a U shape around the power lines which looks ridiculous. next door, there is a 3m angophora that has grown at a 60 degree angle because it was unable to see the sun behind a huge ol gum (which eventually had to be removed). our neighbours have applied to have it replaced, offering to pay to replace it with another angophora only one that isnt likely to fall over in the next few years. the council rejected their claim, stating the tree would be fine. mind boggling. Re: Nature strips and councils choice of trees 3Oct 30, 2012 3:36 pm I'd be doing everything in my power to ensure that little tree does not survive. You will have a bare nature strip (dust) without any lawn growing underneath in years to come, the possibility of attracting termites close to your home and also the danger of a fallen tree on your property should there ever be a massive wind storm. There are heaps of other smaller natives they could plant ie bottlebrush, lily pillies etc. that do not grow to be so big. Just local council doing what they do best, creating more problems than they actually solve and demanding huge rates from us for it!! Re: Nature strips and councils choice of trees 4Oct 31, 2012 2:06 pm Exactly - I'd be happy to plant a grevilia or correa and look after it. But planting eucalypts in front of housing is just silly. Building a Delta 21 at Craigieburn - http://homeofzero.blogspot.com.au/ Deposit: 26/02. Contract: 22/05. Settlement: 29/05. Site start: 18/10. Re: Nature strips and councils choice of trees 5Oct 31, 2012 9:12 pm with all the builidng going on it might get damaged. errm surely it's a possibility? once you move in you could generously decide to plant a tree for free to replace the gum critically damaged during the build. Re: Nature strips and councils choice of trees 6Nov 01, 2012 10:27 am I have several ironbacks in my backyard. One is leaning heavily and is bringing the fence down with it. My kids play under it. I can honestly say there is no place for trees of this size to be in aussie backyards...unless your backyard is huge. Let these trees roam free in the 93% of uninhabited land across Australia - not the average backyard or nature strip. I'm sick of cleaning up the mess every Saturday morning. Its like i have nothing better to do. NOTHING will grow under these monsters. NOTHING. Im going approach the council to chop these things down. I recently hit a snag with my new build with Metricon. On the block I purchased there is an old covenant when the land was subdivided in 1971 that "the exterior walls of… 0 1133 A survey must’ve completed by a certified surveyor. This form part of every DA requirement 3 178934 |