A TIGHTLY divided Melville has released a plan to regulate trees on private property for public comment after it narrowly passed with mayor Katy Mair using her casting vote.
The draft policy that could require landowners to seek approval before removing or significantly damaging some medium and large trees.
The decision came after council rejected a rival motion to abandon the proposed regulations altogether.
The alternative motion, moved by Cr Michael McGoldrick and seconded by Cr Nicole Robins, would instead have clarified that tree-damaging activity on private land was exempt from development approval.
• Melville is putting a proposed policy out for comment regarding trees on private property. Photo courtesy City of Melville
It was defeated 5–6, with Crs Robins, Clive Ross, Jennifer Spanbroek, Crawford Yorke and McGoldrick voting for it.
Mayor Mair and Crs Karen Wheatland, Daniel Lim, Soo Hong, Scott Green and George Panayotou voted against.
The council then voted on the officer recommendation to advertise the draft policy, with five councillors voting for and five against. Mayor Mair used her casting vote to approve it.
The proposed Local Planning Policy 1.24 would favour retaining regulated trees where “reasonable and practical”, while allowing removal in some circumstances.
Medium trees would generally be those with a canopy of about 6m to 10m and/or a height of 8m to 12m, while large trees would have a canopy exceeding 10m and/or a height exceeding 12m.
If removal was approved, the policy proposes one replacement tree for a medium tree and two for a large tree.
A financial contribution of about $1000 per required replacement tree could apply where planting on the property was impractical.
The policy would apply across land covered by Melville’s Local Planning Scheme No. 6, including commercial and business properties.
It follows community consultation in 2024 in which more than 900 people provided feedback on retaining trees on private land.
Mayor Katy Mair said the draft policy had been shaped by that feedback.
“The City of Melville recognises that trees contribute to a clean, green and sustainable Melville for current and future generations to enjoy.
“We’ve taken what we heard from the community to help shape this draft policy for managing trees on private land.
“It’s important to note that this draft policy is not final and we want to hear from our community.
“If you’re interested in the future of trees in Melville, I encourage you to have your say by going online to Melville Talks.”
The proposed regulations would not come into effect unless the policy is eventually adopted by council and an education and transition process is completed.
The City estimates implementing the policy would require two additional full-time staff at a cost of about $200,000 a year for planning assessment, compliance and enforcement.
The debate comes as neighbouring councils have also moved to protect trees on private property.
Fremantle already requires development approval for removal or damaging activity involving regulated trees, generally using similar size thresholds to those proposed by Melville.
Cockburn’s tree protection policy came into effect in May this year, also requiring approval for damaging activity involving regulated trees on private land.
Melville’s policy is broadly consistent with the direction being taken by neighbouring councils, although the June vote shows there is still considerable disagreement over how far local government should go in regulating what property owners can do with trees on their own land.
The council report notes concerns about additional approval requirements, the complexity and cost of enforcement and the proportionality of regulating private property.
The policy will now go to public consultation, with submissions closing on October 31.
It will then return to council for a final decision.
by STEVE GRANT