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A petition is being canvassed to save Bellingen’s Church Street camphor laurels, and it appears this on-the-ground approach may well be the last-ditch effort to save the trees.
In a statement, the mayor, Dominic King, said while he is aware the issue is divisive, but the benefits outweigh the cons.
“Council has been progressing the construction planning for the first two stages of the Bellingen Main Street Plan which includes the upgrade of the intersections at Hyde and Oak streets and Hyde and Church streets.
“This plan builds on previous work including the Bellingen CBD Study (April 2002) which recommended the progressive culling of the camphor laurels in Church Street. This was revisited in the Church Street North Revitalisation Report (September 2010) which was brought to life by the upgrade of Church Street Stage 1 in 2011.
“That project included the Development Approval for the viewing platform and the staged removal of four camphor laurels in Church Street North and one in the former Telstra car park.
“Affiliated works included formalising car parking and planting of replacement trees which occurred by way of community input via a working party.
“Following the development of the engineering and landscape design plans for the Church Street intersection as part of the Main Street Masterplan Project, the construction scope raised questions about pedestrian mobility and longer term risks associated with the ageing camphor laurel trees.
“In particular, continuing damage to existing and new public infrastructure as well as pedestrians and privately owned vehicles.
“As a result, consideration is now being given to the selection of suitable alternative shade street trees in Church Street to replace the camphor laurel trees and deliver improved street appeal and amenity.
“I wish to assure everyone that Council is committed to ensuring that this area remains an attractive destination however, Council has a responsibility to ensure that the area is safe and Council’s infrastructure is not compromised.
“To that end a working group has been established to investigate suitable replacement trees and councillors Jennie Fenton and Steve Jenkins are part of this working group.
“Council is currently finalising detailed designs in preparation for the project to commence which is envisaged to occur this financial year. Street lighting designs are yet to be finalised and approved by Essential Energy.
“Following the final project approval from the RMS and prior to works commencing there will be direct consultation with all adjoining businesses and property owners. All work associated with the construction at each location will be undertaken to minimise the disruption to business, and some construction work may be undertaken outside normal business hours to limit disruption.
“Moving forward Council will further consider planning for the CBD precinct with a focus on urban design outcomes including car parking and pedestrian mobility as well as capitalizing on our town’s assets.”
- Bellingen Shire Council's online hub for community engagement: http://create.bellingen.nsw.gov.au/
The Bellingen Chamber of Commerce’s response
The Chamber has been fairly quiet on the matter generally, however, the Bellingen Shire Courier-Sun understands they will be on the council committee established as part of a working group to investigate suitable replacement trees.
In a brief statement chamber president Geoff Tosio said: “The Bellingen Chamber of Commerce is part of the committee to discuss the camphor issues and hopefully as well as others pertains to the CBD master plan”.
“With respect to the camphor laurel removal, it appears perhaps not enough community consultation has taken place.”
Luke Hartsuyker’s response
Previously, the Member for Cowper has supported the protesters in their fight to keep the camphor laurels from the axe. However, this has now changed.
In a recent statement, Mr Hartsuyker said: “As I’m sure you are aware, council’s decision to remove the trees in Bellingen is not something the federal government can overrule. As far as I can tell, the council has made a legitimate decision about the Church Street upgrade, and they are within their rights to proceed with the plan (even though I know there are some in the community who disagree with it). Perhaps now the focus should be on ensuring the replacement trees selected by council are suitable for the location and unique character of Bellingen?”