MAYOR Bruce MacKenzie has come under fire from Port Stephens lobby and environmental groups after seeking councillor support which would amend Port Stephens Council's Tree Preservation Order (TPO).
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In a mayoral minute presented at the council's May 12 meeting, Cr MacKenzie called for a 12-month moratorium on the need by residents to obtain pre-approval for the removal of trees where there is a risk to human life or property.
He also requested that the council be granted an allocation of $100,000 to remove dangerous and/or inappropriate trees from roads, streets and reserves, and that a review of the current street tree species guidelines to provide a maximum height be increased from 3 metres to 4 metres.
He said this made sense in light of the number of trees that came down in the recent storms.
But Tomaree Ratepayers and Residents Association member Margaret Wilkinson has warned councillors not to turn the Port into a treeless environment.
"Council should broaden the selection of street trees to be planted and encourage solid tree guards to be provided for smaller trees to be planted in new subdivisions," Mrs Wilkinson said.
EcoNetwork Port Stephens coordinator Darrell Dawson called the document "an obvious misuse and abuse of power to gut the council's TPO".
"The TPO exists for the visually and aesthetically appealing benefit from trees in our towns and open spaces and which are so essential for community amenity and biodiversity protection," Mr Dawson said.
"There are more pressing concerns to which funds should be directed, for example, to review the decisions that reject and defy professional advice that allow development on flood-prone lands, on public parklands, unlimited sandmining and subdivision on vegetated lands."
On Tuesday night, councillors deferred the mayoral minute to the May 26 meeting due to the absence of Cr MacKenzie.