6/26 Florence Road, Surrey Hills VIC 3127

This area of Surrey Hills is losing many trees. A large number of older homes are being replaced by larger residential developments. A tour of the area demonstrates that when an older home is demolished the residential block is invariably 'moonscaped'. It is imperative that we maintain our treed environment where we can.
Canopy cover in Whitehorse was 18% in 2018, a net loss of 10% over the previous 4 years. As is evident in the Council's Urban Forest Strategy report, this has major implications for the area and its residents. Council is aiming for a canopy cover of 30% by 2050. Council and concerned residents are working to increase the diminishing canopy and restore vegetation. It continues to decrease on private land. Council's report states "A collective effort across private and public land is needed to convert a decline in canopy cover into a net gain".
It is worth noting that there is a financial benefit to be gained by owners of residential housing that has trees; and areas that have treed environments have higher property values (reference: Dr Gregory Moore, https://www.monash.vic.gov.au/files/assets/public/v/1/planning-development/documents/expert-evidence-of-gregory-moore.pdf).
I would therefore ask that the application for tree removal at this address be denied.