We want your feedback on proposed changes to the Local Law guidelines that aim to safeguard more large, healthy trees on private property and assist vulnerable residents in managing problems with a protected tree.
In Bayside, trees with a single or combined trunk circumference greater than 155cm measured 1m above ground level are protected under the Local Law and require a removal permit.
Proposed changes to the permit assessment guidelines include:
- Introducing special considerations for disability, access safety, financial hardship or complex medical needs to support vulnerable residents with services to help them either retain their tree(s) or permit tree removal.
- Protecting more healthy trees by removing some permit assessment criteria, such as consideration for the number of other protected trees on the site, or neighbours' support for removal.
- Clearer and increased replanting requirements for every protected tree removed to increase canopy and middle/understorey planting.
- Assessing the tree for its habitat value to native wildlife.
These minor changes to the permit assessment guidelines are designed to help deliver Urban Forest Strategy outcomes of maintaining Bayside's existing tree canopy cover and avoiding further decline, while ensuring that the permit process supports the needs of more vulnerable residents.
What do you think about the proposed changes? Consultation on the revised Local Law guidelines is open until 13 August 2023.
