An extra 180 street trees will be planted in coming months to offset the controversial felling of a giant River Red Gum in Noble Park last month.
The 1.5-to-2 metre tall trees as well as another 400 street and park trees will be planted by Greater Dandenong Council in Noble Park by the end of August.
“We’re going to plant a tree in every vacant street tree location in central Noble Park and then start planting trees in the surrounding streets,” mayor Jim Memeti said.
The 180 trees were funded by a $155,000 developer payment to offset the removal of the 20-metre gum tree on the very edge of a 5.9 hectare site at 51A Douglas Street.
A six-storey, 97-unit ‘affordable housing’ tower with a 76-car space shortfall is proposed for the site.
Last year, the council had estimated just 15 trees up to 2 metres would be funded by the offset.
Timber from the gum is being stored by the council for an undetermined community project, and 400 provenance seeds from the tree have been taken to a nursery to prepare for planting.
The offset payment will cover planting, maintenance and seed propagation for the next two years, which was a “fantastic outcome for our community and our environment”, Cr Memeti said.
A fierce campaign to protect the original tree was waged by residents, with protestors in tears as the tree was felled on 28 June.
In the past two years, the council has planted 5184 trees as part of a 15-year street tree planting plan.
A further 20,000 indigenous seedlings were also planted to assist with increasing the council area’s sparse canopy rate from 9 per cent in 2018 to 15 per cent by 2028.
A 2024 audit for the council had estimated 14 per cent canopy coverage.
The Douglas Street apartments were approved by Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny, who ordered Greater Dandenong Council to issue a permit.
The council sought legal advice on refusing the removal of the two River Red Gums partly on council land.
It apparently wavered when told the developer could potentially sue for $1 million.
In the Government’s explanatory report, the tower is described as a “priority project” which was expedited to help Victoria’s post-Covid economic recovery.
It would provide “affordable housing in a key location” and extra commercial activity on what was “under-utilised” land.
