Classified Local Tree Law

We asked

Glen Eira has less public open space per capita than any other inner Melbourne local government area. Our parks and greenery are precious and highly valued for their contribution to public health and the environment. To manage the challenges of a rising population and continuing changes to local neighbourhoods, we asked you if we should introduce measures to protect trees. Using the Have Your Say platform and drawing on Community Voice, we called for input on the development and implementation of a Classified Tree Register.

You said

We completed two rounds of community consultation on this topic. The first was a municipal-wide consultation in November and December 2017, which received 130 submissions. The second was through Glen Eira Community Voice in June 2018, which received 258 submissions. In these consultations, you told us that:

• trees in Glen Eira should be protected, including those on private and public land;
• there are many attributes that make a tree worthy of protection, including the rarity of its species;
• tree registration should include a broad range of criteria, a platform for different views and transparency; and
• any future appeals process to deal with differences of opinion on tree management needs careful consideration.

We did

We analysed your feedback and prepared a report for presentation to Council on 26 September 2018. At this meeting, we committed to developing controls to protect trees, including on private land a set of objectives for a tree protection approach, drawn from your priorities, a report presenting options for controls to best protect trees.

On 30 June 2020, the proposed Classified Tree Local Law was endorsed by Council for public exhibition and the receiving of submissions from 1 to 29 July 2020.

We received significant engagement during the consultation period, including: 

• 422 visits to the Have Your Say;
• related documents downloaded a total of 203 times from our website;
• 10 people attending Zoom drop-in information sessions, comprising three staff members and seven residents;
• receiving 110 written submissions, 14 late submissions and three further submissions after the agenda for the Council meeting on 11 August 2020 was prepared. 

On 11 August 2020, Council received and heard public submissions on the proposed Local Law as per the requirements of sections 119 and 223 of the Local Government Act 1989. 

On 1 September 2020, Council made the Classified Tree Local Law, for commencement on 3 September 2020