No worries as tree permits get chop

Dec. 23, 2013, 4 a.m.

GREENING Bathurst chairman Ashley Bland says he is not concerned about changes to Bathursts Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan that allow residents outside the regions heritage conservation areas to fell trees because he knows people find trees beautiful and understand the important role they play.

GREENING Bathurst chairman Ashley Bland says he is not concerned about changes to Bathursts Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plan that allow residents outside the regions heritage conservation areas to fell trees because he knows people find trees beautiful and understand the important role they play.

Once councils new LEP and DCP come into effect in 2014 a tree permit will no longer be required to remove, lop or prune a tree outside the identified Heritage Conservation Areas.

However, within the conservation areas three processes have been established to deal with the assessment and determination of applications for the removal, lopping and pruning of trees.

These are a prescribed Tree Permit Application; or exempt Tree Notification Form; or development consent as part of a development application.

A prescribed tree permit application must be lodged with council to ringbark, cut down, top, lop, remove, injure or wilfully destroy any prescribed tree in a heritage conservation area.

An exempt tree notification form is to be lodged with council to remove, lop, top or cut down an exempt tree that is greater than nine metres in height; or has a stem circumference of one metre or more at a height of one metre from the ground; or has a branch spread of 15 metres or more.

Mr Bland said he believes the people of Bathurst realise how wonderful it is to have trees and will not take advantage of the changes to the regulations.

We understand how important trees are for keeping us cool and providing a habitat for local wildlife, Mr Bland said.

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No worries as tree permits get chop