Council Minutes - Town of Cambridge

COUNCIL MINUTES
TUESDAY 28 AUGUST 2012
2. Tree Replacement
It is to be noted that the State has yet to resolve its landscaping strategy for the State
Netball Centre and other works within Wembley Sports Park that they are undertaking.
The landscaping strategy identified that, of the 288 trees to be removed by the Town, 65
were of Carnaby's Cockatoo habitat species with the remainder non Carnaby's habitat
species. The landscaping strategy recommended that 937 new trees be planted, with
710 of these off set plantings be undertaken in largely bushland areas rather than areas
of high activity such as Wembley Sports Park and 227 trees within Wembley Sports
Park. Thus the ratio of trees replaced to trees removed exceeds 3 to 1.
The Town has made a commitment to plant 1,200 Carnaby's friendly tube stock inside
bushland at Wembley Golf Course. This work was largely completed on the National
Tree Planting day on 29 July 2012 through the efforts of volunteers allied with Wembley
Sports Park, Friends of Roscommon Reserve, The Great Cocky Count and Town staff.
This planting significantly exceeds guidelines set by the Federal Government in this
regard.
The landscaping strategy also identified further semi-mature and tube stock planting that
would be appropriate to Wembley Sports Park and this has been included in the project
scope.
It is also important to note, that of the 288 trees proposed to be removed, 51 are dead, in
danger of collapse or hazardous to park users (limb dropping) and a further 80 are very
small trees of less than 150mm trunk diameter, thus worthy of consideration in overall
context. Thus, 157 'healthy' mature trees will be required to be removed during the
development of Wembley Sports Park.
Whilst the landscaping strategy proposes 227 new trees within Wembley Sports Park, as
detail design progresses on each stage, it is proposed that further effort will be made to
reduce the number of trees to be removed, further increase the number of new trees to
be planted (as space permits) and further increase the ratio of semi-mature and mature
trees to seedlings (as budget permits).
Some submissions raised concerns that the overall tree replacement strategy should
have been more specific in that some plantings were to be conducted off site as well as
on site, especially noting the Council decision to achieve at least a 2 for 1 replacement
strategy. The proposed plantings off set are better suited to the Carnaby's Cockatoo than
replacement in Wembley Sports Park given its highly activated use as a sports park.
Currently, it is planned to plant 227 new trees. With regards to the 157 healthy trees
proposed to be removed, the on site replanting ratio is 1.4 to 1. Further additional
plantings will be undertaken as detail design progresses to increase tree density closer
to the 2:1 target.
3. Selby Street Right Turn into Wembley Sports Park
The Integrated Access, Parking and Traffic Study proposed that a right turn pocket on
Selby Street be created extending south from the main entry to opposite Kirwan Street.
This would have resulted in four larger trees and one smaller tree needing to be
removed. The intent of this pocket was to provide reasonable storage for right turn
vehicles entering Wembley Sports Park without unduly compromising the two
northbound through lanes on Selby Street.
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