Split continues: wall or trees?
Image: Roots run rampant at South Head Cemetery. Photo: Laura Parr
Vaucluse residents and Waverley Council continue to battle over the solution to South Head Cemetery’s damaged wall.
Council announced an investigation into the controversial matter at a community consultation meeting after two hours of heated debate between residents and Council staff.
Mayor Sally Betts said Council had to consider the heritage of the wall, as well as the damage to grave plots and safety risk that the damaged wall presented.
“We cannot let the wall fall into the road again, we can’t just do that. And it will. And we cannot let the trees continue to invade the plots and they will,” she said.
Dan Joannides, Council’s Divisional Manager of Technical Services, presented three options at the meeting.
The third option, which was deemed by Council as the most appropriate, involves the removal of all Ficus trees causing damage to the wall, and planting 16 Tuckeroo trees in their place.
But residents at the meeting continued to protest against the removal of the Ficus trees.
Christophe Bailhache of Save Our Trees at South Head Cemetery said the trees were only 50 years old and still had 50 to 100 years to live.
“Would you bury someone halfway through their life? Trees are healthy living things too,” he said.
Joe Tweg, another local resident, presented an alternative plan to Council that involved a ‘pier and beam’ structure – a plan to keep the trees and work around the roots by replacing the footing beneath the sandstone wall.
But Council said this strategy would not fix the damaged grave plots. Council’s investigation will include cost analysis of the three options as well as an alternative option including the balanced pruning of branches and roots, allowing roots to grow out of the wall.
Mayor Betts said the next stage would be to compile all of the information presented, undertake further investigation and then present new alternatives at the next precinct meeting.
She said residents would be consulted by email in the meantime.
“We just need to find a good solution [so] that we can continue to ensure that there’s a screen between the residents and the cemetery, and then perhaps replace the trees for better trees or certainly better looking trees, and protect the wall at the same time. I’m sure we can come up with a solution.”
