By Afraa Kori
A group of neighbours in Pakenham are urging the council to remove or trim hazardous trees and branches that have been falling onto properties and nature strips for over 5 years, posing a risk to residents, children and vehicles.
Mel Casey and her husband John, along with neighbors Mandy and the two Steves, have reported the hazardous tree to Cardinia Shire council through various methods. Despite using the Snap, Send, Solve app, emailing and calling the council, their efforts have been met with inaction.
The trees located on the nature strip in front of their property has been growing unfavourably towards their home and has a history of large limb breakage.
Mel was informed by the city council that they can only cut branches back to the fence line, but she believes it’s not the correct approach and will not solve the bigger problem that the tree has a disproportionately exaggerated growth towards the west.
“This ruling is concerning, as the tree poses a significant risk to my property and the safety of my family. The tree specialist also mentioned that a true determination of the tree’s health can only be achieved by drilling into the trunk, which has never been carried out by the council, which further highlights the need for immediate action.”
Mel’s child was startled by a loud noise on 21 January, only to discover that a large and heavy tree branch had fallen onto their nature strip.
Just before Christmas, a tree of the same species fell at the end of their street onto the road, narrowly missing a home. On inspection the trunk was hollowing. The council was made aware of this tree (Lavender Ave) on many occasions and of other trees in the street and Council did “nothing” to address this issue. The same message was relayed by the council that the tree appears healthy.
“This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential dangers posed by this species of trees in our area.”
“With the tree in front of my property leaning towards my home, I am deeply concerned for the safety of my family, particularly my daughter who sleeps in the front room.”
Mel’s neighbour, a speech therapist who works from home, often has children visiting for sessions and playing outside.
With the recent fall, Mel is worried that the tree’s unstable condition could lead to more branches falling, potentially putting the children near her home at risk.
“I urge the Cardinia council to carry out the necessary pruning at their cost to ensure the safety of my property and family. Or remove the tree and replace it with a more appropriate tree for our neighbourhood. The risk of the tree falling towards my home is too great to ignore, and I implore you to take urgent action to address this matter.”
Cardinia Shire Council’s General Manager, Infrastructure and Environment, Peter Benazic said they are experiencing delays in responding to tree-related requests.
“As a result of three emergency events in 2024, the community is experiencing longer than usual response timeframes on requests related to trees. Council has engaged additional resources to communicate with residents and conduct risk assessments on outstanding works, and while work continues in this space, we appreciate residents’ patience on the matter. Risk assessments are conducted by qualified arborists and jobs are prioritised according to the likelihood and impact a failure may have.
“The trees in Lavender Avenue will be inspected over the coming days, with a full risk assessment performed. Works for tree maintenance and removal will be prioritised based on the level of urgency by Council’s arborist at the time of inspection. Meanwhile, Council continues to prioritise urgent work across the shire’s significant tree population to ensure that all nature strips are landscaped and maintained appropriately to minimise risks to our community.”
