At the Midcoast Council meeting of September 26 the majority of councillors decided to reject the proposal of extending tree and vegetation controls over the Mid Coast area and to "remove all tree and vegetation controls" in the Great Lakes area.
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An amendment by councillors Pontin and Smith (and supported by Epov) asked for further consideration and for this issue to be put on public exhibition, so that residents could have their say.
This was also rejected. This is despite the Great lakes area successfully having these vegetation controls for many years.
This contradicts councils policies.
The Midcoast Council Strategic Plan 2030 states: "We value our environment". The Manning Valley Community Plan 2010-2030 lists "Looking after what we've got" and "Respecting our environment" as the first two key directions for council. The recent Community Engagement Policy states "Council is committed to undertaking ongoing and meaningful engagement with its community and stakeholders."
Do plans and policies mean nothing?
We know that tourists and often new residents come here because of the natural environment. Trees provide much needed shade in residential areas.
A suburb with trees and gardens increases house prices. Trees are a home to birds, which many of us enjoy watching. Trees help mitigate the effects of the more extreme temperatures which we are experiencing. They protect biodiversity.
Councillors, please, at least allow the public to have their say on this issue. Future consideration of a limited number of significant trees as you have decided is a very poor compromise.
