By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A furious community backlash has halted Greater Dandenong Council’s plan to “moonscape” Hemmings and Weller streets, Dandenong by felling 71 street trees in a matter of weeks.
Residents were first told of what the council described as “tree planting works” in a letter in late March.
The trees were to be removed and replaced with 102 plantings from late April to end of May to improve perceived safety as part of the Hemmings Street Precinct Action Plan.
Resident Peter O’Loughlin said the neighbourhood’s reaction ranged from shock, surprise to outright fury.
It also led to blind-sided residents in the council’s Hemmings Street Community Action Group feeling “burnt”.
Councillor Rhonda Garad said the “paternalistic” move would have effectively turned the streets to a “moonscape”.
“It’s an area that needs beautification. It would devastate the environment, take away all the bird life and with no canopy cover to protect against heat effects.
“It would be appalling. Residents would have to wait for years for the replacement trees to grow up (to the same maturity).”
Cr Garad questioned the link between community safety and wholesale tree removal. The works also ran counter to the council’s strategy to increase the municipality’s paltry tree canopy coverage.
“For (council officers) to think they can do this in a low socio-economic area and say you can live in a moonscape for five or 10 years until the trees mature.
“A lot of people don’t have back yards. And those trees are important to them.”
In the council’s public question time on 11 April, a resident said no one asked for trees to be removed during consultation on the Hemmings Street Action Plan.
Residents had sought more police patrols, less rooming houses, less vacant properties and better lighting, he said.
“How was the leap made from improving lighting to cutting every tree down? There appears to be no literature to support this.”
Acting community services director Tilla Buden said the paperbark trees blocked sightlines, turned nature strips to “scorched earth”, created trip hazards and obscured street lighting.
Tree replacement was not detailed in the action plan but was “a result of determining the best strategies to address perceptions of safety”, Ms Buden said.
The trees were also identified as part of a city-wide tree replacement program under the Greening Our City strategy, she said.
The strategy identifies certain tree species being replaced across Greater Dandenong, including a species of paperbark that grows in the Hemmings Street area.
Mr O’Loughlin says the proposed removals go beyond that – extending to another paperbark species, acacias and a liquid amber tree.
Ms Buden told Star Journal that the tree works were “on hold for further consideration and consulation” due to concerns by stakeholders.
“Council is working in partnership with the Hemmings Street precinct residents and businesses.
“Council will continue to listen to our community and review their feedback in a considered way before undergoing any further works in the precinct.
“The proposal for tree replacement in Hemmings Street is to take a long-term approach to achieve a consistent tree canopy cover, with street tree species that align with the Greening Our City – Urban Tree Strategy.”
The $160,000 works were co-funded with a $80,000 grant from the state Department of Justice and Community Safety.
The Hemmings Street Precinct Action Plan was created to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
The State Government has granted $620,000 towards improved shopping strip streetscaping, a car park upgrade, CCTV cameras, lighting and community engagement events.
