By Brendan Rees
A group of Narre Warren residents is calling on Casey Council to remove huge London Plane trees which they say is ruining their properties.
A petition of 52 signatures was presented to council from residents of Penhurst Street and surrounding streets at a 17 July meeting, asking for the trees to be removed and replaced with more suitable ones.
According to head petitioner Ken Binaisse, the trees were planted in about 1995 and have since damaged footpaths, kerb and channelling and private properties due to the invasive root system.
Mr Binaisse said council had been bleeding ratepayers with “forever ongoing costs” of footpath repairs over the years. “This must be running into hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars each year.”
“It’s not just here it’s throughout the municipality,” he said.
Mr Binaisse, whose own brick garden beds and concrete mow strip had begun to lift and crack, said the intrusion of roots was visible on the surface of footpaths and front yards of some houses: “Once it gets into private property that is ridiculous.”
“I’ve got a neighbour down the road that will testify under oath that the contractor did not remove the roots under the footpath next door to him; that one’s all over the shop again already, five years later.”
He said if council didn’t take the matter seriously “this problem is going to continue.”
Mr Binaisse believes council chose to plant the trees because not only do they provide a beautiful streetscape but will also withstand severe pruning.
“They’re beautiful trees but they’re just too over powering. I’m asking for removal because of root damage – they’re so aggressive.”
The trees have a potential to grow to mammoth specimens with a height of 30 metres and canopy span of 20 metres.
Mr Binaisse said the trees were also known to cause allergic reactions, claiming his 92 year-old neighbour was forced to have her evaporative cooling system cleaned due to the tree’s seed due to the presence of the tree’s seed.
Councillors voted for council to investigate the issue at their 17 July meeting with councillor Rosalie Crestani saying: “We’ve got a rigorous program that deals with problem trees but now we’re dealing with legacy trees so we have to go back and fix some problems.”
She said it was a balancing act of ensuring there was enough foliage in the streets as well as addressing any safety concerns residents may have.
“It’s a representation of a wide sweeping issue across Casey,” she added. “London Plane trees are known to cause damage in the city and in other locations.”
A report will come back to council in November.
