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C&R Council assists developers to cut down Auckland trees
Developers wanting to chop down trees in leafy suburbs will be ecstatic about decisions made by the David Hay-led Citizens and Ratepayers (C&R) Auckland City Council last night. On the casting vote of Deputy Mayor David Hay, C&R have cut out Community Boards from any comment on almost all tree removals by taking away the lion's share of their Tree Spokesperson delegations.
The new delegations have restricted Tree Spokespeople to only commenting on the removal and pruning of trees scheduled under the District Plan. Previously where any resource consent was being applied for that involved the removal or pruning of a tree, a Community Board Tree Spokesperson viewed the tree and gave feedback to Auckland City Council officers before the decision was made on the resource consent's outcome. Of the more than one million trees in Auckland City, only 656 are scheduled under the District Plan.
"More than 99 percent of the Tree Spokesperson's job has been taken away from them without giving our Community Boards a chance to have their say," says Councillor Fryer. "C&R Auckland City Councillors have decimated Community Boards' powers and abilities to act in the interests of their communities on trees."
At last night's Council meeting in the Town Hall, councillors heard from the Tree Council, who for over 20 years have been the voice for many Auckland citizens concerned about the rapid removal of mature trees. Hueline Massey, spokesperson for the Tree Council, urged Auckland City Council to think again and have a dialogue on the issue with both Community Boards and the Tree Council, as neither have been consulted about this abrupt cut back of delegations. The Tree Council said that Auckland City Council's report on the matter gave no valid reasons why Community Boards should be shut out of the tree removal and pruning resource consent process.
"This action will be another nail in the coffin for our city's trees", says Councillor Fryer. "In addition, C&R decided last night that no Councillor Planning Commissioners will sit on tree hearings in their own ward which means no skills and local knowledge will be brought to bear in any of these important decisions. When combined with the recent change by Auckland City Council officers to stop arborists, who are specialists in the growth and health of trees, from making the final decisions on most tree consents, replacing them by resource consent planners, I really fear for the health of our city's trees. When deciding on tree applications, planners have a different focus and expertise from arborists while Community Board Tree Spokespeople have skills and local knowledge but as they are now out of the consultation loop Council planning staff will not seek or listen to their views."
Councillor Fryer concluded by commenting that "the three decisions made by C&R councillors to change the tree consent process will ultimately see far fewer mature trees within our suburbs as developers seize their chances."
ENDS Posted Fri 29 Feb 2008 |
