Waverley Mayor defends tree-removal proposal

The Mayor of Waverley Council has defended proposals to remove trees from a Vaucluse cemetery after a furious response from residents.

Mayor Sally Betts said trees at South Head General Cemetery, needed to be removed because of the damage they had caused to grave plots and the retaining wall on Burge Street.

“I think the issue is that we have no choice. Unfortunately the trees were never planted in a systematic way and not by the council,” she said.

“If you want to not worry about the graves and the walls, the [trees] have to come out.”

The growth of tree trunks and roots along Burge Street have damaged cemetery monuments, graces and the heritage-listed sandstone walls. Two sections of the retaining wall have collapsed on Burge Street and three more locations are either fractured or leaning as a result.

But Burge Street residents are furious Council released the proposal last week to remove the trees without consulting them.

Vaucluse resident group, Save Our Trees based at South Head Road Cemetery, said the “radical” proposal should not remove the 15 ‘mature and healthy’ trees aged between 50-60 years old.

“Everyone was extremely unhappy and are quite angry the council didn’t have a consultation with the residents. It’s got a big impact environmentally,” said the resident group.

The group wants Council to consult with Vaucluse residents to develop solutions that won’t see the trees cut down.

“I’m sure the approach can be fine-tuned, the important thing is to explore a solution that doesn’t chop the trees down,” said Burge Street resident, Jason Juma-Ross.

Save Our Trees at South Head Road Cemetery said: “We won’t let the pressure off… we made it clear to Council we weren’t going to let this happen without community consultation.”

Green Councillor Prue Cancian agreed community consultation should occur before Council considers removing the trees.

“We should at the very least look at the option presented to Councillors and evaluate the cost and practicability of it.”

Mayor Betts has promised community consultation in the coming weeks to discuss the next steps for the proposal.

“I’m in the middle of organising a single-issue precinct meeting and I’m inviting all residents along,” she said.

Mayor Betts said a tree expert and landscaper would be there to help answer the residents’ concerns.

She has proposed the trees be gradually removed and replaced with mature ones outside the walls while the damaged sandstone is reconstructed.

There are also concerns for native birds that live in the trees and how they will be affected by the proposals.

“This is one of the last green belts in Waverley Council. There is a lot of wildlife that you just don’t mess around with,” said the residents group.

The report by Waverley Council recommended the tree species Tuckeroos replace the existing trees and will provide “increased habitat and canopy for native birds and respond well to pruning”.

The Mayor has assured residents they will be involved in the solution process for South Head General Cemetery.

“Waverley [Council] is a very consultative council,” she said.

The council conducted a consultation process last year where residents were invited to walk around the cemetery with the Mayor and Councillors to assess the root damage and discuss solutions.

The next community consultation is set for the end of this month or early September.

By Vanessa Zhang