‘Half-arsed’: A Melbourne council planted hundreds of trees, now it will rip half of them out

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Key points

• The City of Hobsons Bay will rip up 160 trees after residents complained the yellow boxes would eventually obstruct their views.
• Of the 320 trees recently planted, 62 have been vandalised.
• Melbourne’s west has the lowest green cover in the city at just 5.5 per cent, far less than the 17.4 per cent coverage in the inner south-east and 25.9 per cent in the east.

A Melbourne council will rip out 160 trees it recently planted to provide shade on a barren trail after residents complained they would obstruct their coastal views.

The City of Hobsons Bay will remove every second tree of the 320 yellow boxes – eucalyptus melliodora – it planted last year along the Skeleton Creek and Bay Trail at Altona Meadows in Melbourne’s south-west.

The view across Skeleton Creek and Bay Trail in Altona Meadows, where the yellow box trees were planted.Credit: Jason South

The decision follows a 365-signature petition from residents who complained the council didn’t consult those whose homes backed onto the trail, and forecast the trees – once they matured to a height of 10-15 metres – would block their views.

The council admitted it did not speak directly to those residents – who argue that the unimpeded view adds value to their homes – before planting the trees.

However, when the council asked the community whether they wanted to see the trees remain along the trail – which has little shade or vegetation – 94 per cent of more than 700 respondents said they did. Those that said they wanted the trees removed included 19 of the 34 properties directly affected.

Denice Perryman, a member of local conservation group Friends of Skeleton Trail, slammed the decision.

“It’s utterly ridiculous that a small number of residents have a veto on whether or not we plant trees,” she said.

“Ripping out the trees is criminal.”

More than 60 of the trees have also been vandalised, with some having their stakes removed.

Perryman said that was further evidence that the trees needed to be protected.

Angela Wiffen, Denice Perryman and John Stirk, of the Friends of the Skeleton Creek conservation group, want the council to leave all the trees where they were planted.Credit: Justin McManus

“It’s an area absolutely devoid of any vegetation, we need trees for people to use that trail,” she said.

The council planted the trees last year as part of its Urban Forest strategy to reduce heat by increasing canopy in the area by 30 per cent by 2040. Melbourne’s west has the lowest green cover in the city. It had just 5.5 per cent canopy cover in 2018, compared with 17.4 per cent in the inner south-east and 25.9 per cent in the east.

A Hobsons Bay council spokeswoman said the council had met with affected residents and environmental specialists and that the removed trees would be relocated.

“It was acknowledged that no option would satisfy all stakeholders,” she said.

“However, there will still be significant canopy gain that will provide shade to trail users and meet the original intent of the planting, while framing future views for the nearby residents.”

The council also acknowledged in a report that there was “considerable risk of tree loss” after relocation.

The 160 trees cost ratepayers $8000 to plant, but the council has not said how much the relocation will cost.

Only two councillors – Daria Kellander and Peter Hemphill – voted against the removal of the trees.

“Taking a half-arsed approach makes no one happy,” Kellander said.

“It’s frustrating for residents who weren’t properly consulted and the wider community that want the trees.”

The City of Hobsons Bay has also been criticised for planting 800 trees in 2020 at Grieve Parade Reserve in Altona which was once open parkland, in an attempt to make the site a “shady oasis”. Since then, all the trees have died from waterlogging caused by extreme rainfall in 2021 and 2022.

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