The proposed removal of established, native trees runs counter to Council’s urban greening and cooling objectives, and alternatives have not fully explored.
The removal of these trees - particularly the Eucalypt - is concerning:
- an 18m high Eucalypt (which has a high STARS retention value)
- a 9m high paperbark
Both of these trees are within an important habitat corridor. They also provide significant shade, cooling and amenity for Botany St, which otherwise has far too little tree cover. These benefits cannot be readily replaced by new plantings.
The arborist report only makes a cursory analysis and provides little justification for their removal. This is inconsistent with Waverley Council’s Tree Management Policy and associated guidelines, which prioritise the retention of healthy trees and make clear that removal should be a last resort, supported by clear, evidence-based justification.
We have already seen this developer push beyond the limits of the rules to increase their profit margin, challenging the appropriate affordable housing contribution (which was denied after Independent Planning Commission review). This DA demands very close scrutiny to make sure it is consistent with current policies and does not result in needless loss of shade, cooling and environmental benefits for the area.
