FAQs

This community consultation is to inform you and to invite your feedback on the proposed amendments to the Tree Management Policy along with the associated changes to Council’s Schedule of Fees and Charges and the GRDCP 2021.

A review of the Policy is required to rectify the shortcomings that have arisen since the Policy’s implementation in April 2019. The shortcomings have been identified by various sections across Council including Legal, Compliance, Development Assessment and Tree Management. The issues are summarised as follows:

• Direction of the Policy is unclear as it only promotes the general benefit of trees and does not address the need for increased canopy cover in accordance with Council’s adopted 40% urban canopy cover target.,
• Structure is confusing and not user-friendly, especially for the general community,
• Difficulty in applying the Policy in compliance situations where tree vandalism (e.g. poisoning, unauthorised removal) has occurred,
• Requirements for public and private trees are difficult to distinguish,
• Other guidelines and website information such as the DA Guide and the Backyard Biodiversity Guide are being duplicated within the Policy, and
• Prescribed approach to replacement planting does not allow each site to be assessed individually.

A Development Control Plan (DCP) provides planning and design guidelines for the design and assessment of proposed developments to support the planning controls in the LEP. A DCP must be considered when carrying out development on any land to which the DCP applies.

This amendment to the Georges River DCP will apply to all land within the Georges River local government area.

• Specifying the tree works that require approval in accordance with the requirements of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Biodiversity and Conservation) 2021,
• Relocating guidance for tree management on development sites from the Policy to consolidate considerations relating to development and trees,
• Enforcing the provision of new trees to accompany low density developments, and
• Clarifying the required setback of detached dual occupancy developments which was accidentally omitted by the Housekeeping Amendment to the GRDCP.

At the close of the public exhibition period, Council’s Strategic Planning Section will review all submissions and prepare a report to Council on the comments raised in the submissions and any proposed changes to the revised Tree Management Policy, Fees and Charges and DCP resulting from the comments received.

Council will then either:

• support the revised Tree Management Policy, Fees and Charges and DCP amendment along with any recommended changes, or
• not support the changes.

If the proposed changes are supported, a notice of Council’s decision to adopt the revised Tree Management Policy, Fees and Charges and Amendment No.6 to the GRDCP will be published on Council’s website. The date of commencement for the proposed changes will be specified in the notice.