Troublesome tree should stay – council

The future of the English elm tree pictured on the left side of Church St, Mosgiel, is up in the air. Photo by Christine O'Connor.

Church St resident Martin Dillon is applying for resource consent to remove a 40m to 45m English elm on his property and his application was heard by the hearings committee yesterday.

His application to cut down the tree, which is on the council's schedule of significant trees, has split opinion. Five people, including two neighbours, submitted in favour of it being felled and three people opposed its removal.

Those favouring removal were concerned about how much it blocked the sun, the danger of branches falling in the wind, the amount of leaves and fruit it dropped and its immense size, with one submitter describing it as a ''monster tree''.

However, others said the tree added to the Mosgiel area, one describing it as a ''magnificent specimen of its type''.

Mr Dillon, who is a member of the Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board, said at the hearing the tree needed to come down.

''The tree affects our and our neighbour's wellbeing every day of the year ... through suckers, through the fruit-seeds, through the leaves and through the shading.''

He estimated over a one-year period he spent up to $980 having spouting cleaned of leaves and other debris from the tree.

The tree was so large it shaded not only his and his wife's property, but nine other neighbouring houses.

Speaking after his submission, he said council staff, who recommended the tree be kept, had their hands tied because the evaluation method they used placed too much weight on the health of trees and wider community benefits and not enough on the effects on property owners and neighbours.

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Troublesome tree should stay - council