To provide greater protection and assist the City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters in South Australia with the assessment of the removal and pruning of significant trees, Council has established a Significant Tree Register and Plan Amendment Report.
The project was undertaken following changes to regulations and the Development Act, stipulating that a tree is significant provided it has a circumference of 2.5 metres or greater.
Council developed this project to provide protection measures and introduce policies that would help in the assessment of applications seeking to remove or prune significant trees.
In developing the Significant Tree Register and Significant Tree Plan Amendment Report (PAR), Council undertook a survey of the area. Aerial photography was used to identify the locations of all potential significant trees on both private and Council owned land throughout the City.
This method provided Council with the necessary data to develop the Significant Tree Register and PAR. This dramatically saved staff time and resources.
“A total of 1,725 significant trees have been identified and recorded on private property, and 8,117 significant trees within public road reserves have been registered to date,” said Council’s Senior Horticulturist and Project Leader, Sam Cassar. “Owners of significant trees are now required to lodge a DA should they wish to perform any activity deemed to be tree damaging, for which approval from Council is required. It is also the intention of Council to perform further significant tree surveys every five years to reassess trees currently on the register and include other trees that have reached significant status, and to update trees that have died or been removed.”
For further information, contact Sam Cassar on (08) 8366 4588.
