By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong councillors are set to decide whether to drop opposition to removing a towering River Red Gum in central Noble Park for a $155,000 developer offset.
The fate of the trees at 51A Douglas Street – the last of the once-plentiful River Red Gums in the area – sets up an “unique and disappointing” dilemma for the council.
Last year Greater Dandenong controversially legislated against chopping down trees on private land in a push to increase its sparse ‘urban forest’.
Ahead of the council vote on 27 May, about 20 placard-waving protesters – including one in a Lorax costume – gathered at a pair of tall trees on the edge of the development site.
More than 1700 people have signed an online petition to protect the pair.
One of the trees is a 20-metre-tall and healthy River Red Gum – assessed by a tree consultant as a “high worth tree for retention”. It is likely a self-sown, 80-year-old native with another 100-plus years of life.
The council part-owned tree straddles the footpath, and so requires the council’s consent for its destruction.
Nearby, a 23-metre tall River Red Gum – less than 80 years old – stands several metres within the site’s perimeter. It does not require council consent for removal.
Greater Dandenong sustainability award-winner Zoe Mohl, of Springvale, said the council needs to “dig their feet in” to “set the tone for future development”.
“Designs can be made around the trees, as the value of their existence is greater to the community than the value of extra units for the benefit of developers who pocket the money.
“Mature trees are like living museums in our community.
“Just look at a street where the trees have been removed, and then look at a street where large trees still remain and feel the difference in our heart for these places.”
Greater Dandenong Environment Group president Isabelle Nash said she’d grown up in Noble Park in awe of its “wonderful gum trees”.
“Regrettably the shopping district’s majestic giants are down to two. We want to save these last remaining trees.”
The last stand of remnant River Red Gums were nearly wiped out when 66 specimens were sawn down for the ‘Sky Rail’ project in 2016, Keysborough resident Gaye Guest said.
She says Noble Park has ‘park’ in its name due to its former biodiversity including River Red Gums.
“The idea of compensation for large and old tree removals is fraught,” Ms Guest said.
“The idea of offsets is deeply flawed. Frequently a large tree is replaced by a small one or a few.”
Last year, Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny directed the council to issue a permit for a six-storey tower of apartments and retail on the key development site.
In initially opposing the proposal, the council argued that the tower could be redesigned so to retain the trees on the 5.9 hectare site. It nonetheless issued a permit.
However a council report – to be tabled on 27 May – recommends that councillors give consent for the removal of the tree.
It now argues that there are “no realistic alternative design options” to retain the tree.
“If this consent is not provided, then the development cannot proceed, and a series of planning permit conditions cannot be complied with.”
A council spokesperson told Star Journal: “As the developer now has a planning permit for 97 dwellings on the site, it is their decision as to whether a redesign should occur to retain the tree, which they have not agreed to do.”
The report argues there is a “high risk” that the developer could sue the council for the significant time and money invested into the project.
“This is a unique and disappointing situation where Council has been placed in a position of having to issue a planning permit for tree removal (that it strongly objected to) by the Minister for Planning, making Council responsible for the permit, and the ability for it to be acted upon.”
The $155,000 offset payment was calculated using City of Melbourne’s tree-valuation formula.
It would pay for up to 15 replacement trees – each 2.5 metres tall – in Noble Park.
The project would also create 97 “affordable housing” apartments amid a housing crisis, the council report stated.
The site would include 49 car parking spaces – a shortfall of 76 car spaces – as well as 98 bicycle parking spaces with links to the Djerring Trail.
As part of the project, Greater Dandenong has already given consent to the removal of a seven-metre WA flowering gum on a pavement outside the site.
It was assessed to be in poor health, most likely due to root damage during recent road and footpath works.
Greater Dandenong has an urban forest strategy, including a desire to lift the municipality’s dire canopy coverage.
After a concerted planting program and favourable “climatic conditions”, it estimates coverage has risen from 9 per cent in 2021 to 14 per cent in 2023.
Noble Park’s coverage is about 20 per cent.
Greater Dandenong aims to increase municipality-wide coverage to 15 per cent by 2028.
Ms Guest was skeptical about the sharp rise of tree coverage since 2021.
“14 per cent – I don’t believe it as chainsaws are operating overtime in my area.”
