THE City of Mandurah does not want a tree removed from a Wannanup street despite an appeal from the owners of the home it fronts.
Council officers received a request from the owners of the Caspian Drive home to remove the native peppermint tree but an investigation by council officers found the tree should remain.
The owners appealed to the council, citing a number of reasons for challenging the decision.
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READ NOWThe reasons included sight lines being blocked by the tree while entering or leaving the garage, loud creaking noises on windy nights, the eventual size of the mature tree, blocking of natural light from the front window and tree roots extending under the building slab.
The council argued the sight lines were fully compliant with road standards, the tree was healthy and did not meet the City’s criteria for pruning and maintenance.
It also said a fully mature tree would grow to less than 10 metres, it would not shade the window and garden and verge landscaping could limit root direction.
A council report said its aim was to improve the quality of reserves, parks and street trees through the Greening Mandurah Landscape Master Plan.
Street trees were planted in new developments ahead of building construction which could cause conflict from time to time.
Housing design did not take into account where street trees were provided and residents believed they could remove them.
The owners had offered to remove the tree at their own coast and replace it with a palm.
The officers’ recommendation was made at last night’s committee meeting.
The council will vote on the issue at the council meeting on January 30.
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