Town Steps Up Efforts to Protect Trees on Private Land

Published on 01 August 2023

The Town of Cambridge is moving to protect trees on private land after Councillors voted in favour of advertising a draft scheme amendment and supporting policy that would require potential tree removal to be subject to development approval.

At the Ordinary Council meeting on Tuesday, 25 July, Councillors reviewed a report by the Town’s Administration, and voted to advertise an amendment to Local Planning Scheme No. 1 and to advertise draft Local Planning Policy 3.25: Trees on Private Land at the same time. This amendment would safeguard trees prior to development on residential lots zoned R30 or below.

Mayor Keri Shannon, who initially proposed the move at a meeting in April, said the planned changes would help support the Community’s recognition of the need to protect and increase tree canopy across the Town.

“This would be a major achievement for the Town, as the changes would influence development on an ongoing basis and strengthen our efforts to protect our tree-lined streets, which are a significant feature of our Town’s character,” Mayor Shannon said.

“The Town of Cambridge Community wants action to protect our beautiful and significant trees, and Council has listened with this proposed draft amendment,” the Mayor said.

Currently, the existing local planning framework doesn’t provide protection for trees on private property, with land able to be cleared entirely prior to the lodgement of a development application.

The reform would incorporate a general tree protection provision for low to medium density residential areas into the Town’s Local Planning Scheme No. 1. This reform would aim to prevent removal of trees of 8m or higher or with a canopy width of 6m or greater without development approval.

The provisions would deter the loss of trees where the trunk circumference of a single tree is 1m or greater, and measures 1.4m above ground level.

If the tree has multiple trunks, a total trunk circumference would be 1m or greater with an average trunk circumference of 625mm or greater, measuring 1.4m above ground level. The definition of removal would extend to crown reduction, cutting down, filling or excavating around, injuring, removing, pruning, ringbarking, transplanting or wilful destruction.

In 2014, the Town’s urban tree canopy sat at 20%, but within just four years this figure dropped to 18.5%. In addition, an increase in developments across the Town has reduced its urban canopy on development lots from 13% to 5% between 2009 and 2016.

“The figures are telling us we need to protect our Town’s tree canopy. The time to act is now, before it's too late, and these proposed changes would provide a much-needed opportunity to help stabilise our declining tree canopy,” the Mayor said.

Mayor Shannon said City of Nedlands councillors had taken steps to introduce similar moves to retain significant trees by requiring property owners to apply for a development application before removing trees. The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) is currently reviewing the City of Nedlands’ proposal.

Instances where development approval would not be required for tree removal or pruning includes the need to allow clearances for utilities or to carry out bushfire management.

The proposal will next be referred to the WAPC and the Environmental Protection Authority for consideration prior to advertising.