Save Darebin's Significant Trees!

Petition is addressed to: Darebin City Council

19 September 2025:
NEWS UPDATE!: Darebin Council have announced today that the application to cut the trees down has been DENIED.

Thank you to the signatories who voiced their support for protecting mature trees in our neighbourhood - you made a difference!

[July 2025: this petition went to Darebin Council on 28 July 2025 with 686 signatures. The petition remained open while Council assessed the tree removal application]

We call on Darebin City Council to take immediate action to protect two large, significant native trees (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) located at 148 Ballantyne Street, Thornbury. These trees have trunk girths of approximately 3.7 metres and 3.9 metres, qualifying them as significant under Darebin’s Private Tree Protection policy. Their ecological, environmental, aesthetic and community values are substantial and irreplaceable. These mature native trees:

Support local biodiversity and provide essential habitat for wildlife
offer urban heat mitigation and help manage stormwater runoff in this flood prone area
Contribute to neighbourhood character, amenity, and heritage value;
Embody the community’s connection to nature and our urban forest

We are deeply concerned that the trees are at imminent risk with an application for their removal already lodged. We believe this sets a dangerous precedent. In light of this, we respectfully demand Darebin Council:

Immediately commission independent ecological, heritage, and arboricultural assessments of the trees at 148 Ballantyne St and share these findings.
Ensure that any removal application is paused until a fully independent ecological, heritage and arboricultural assessment has been undertaken.
Ensure any application process undergoes a transparent, evidence-based assessment, with public visibility and community consultation.
Investigate opportunities for Darebin Council, Melbourne Water or other entities to acquire the land to enable the protection of the trees, and possible creation of pocket park connected to the Bracken Avenue Open Space corridor.
Review Darebin’s current tree protection policies and planning requirements to ensure they are robust, effective and enforced consistently across the municipality. We urge Darebin to look at stronger planning controls and tree protection mechanisms like those adopted by Moonee Valley and Boorondara councils, together with the establishment of a Significant Tree Register for this City.
Treat removal of significant trees only as a last resort after all other options have been fully exhausted.

This is not just about two trees. This is about preserving our urban forest, protecting biodiversity, and maintaining community trust in the Council’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.

We urge the Darebin Council to act decisively and uphold its obligations to protect trees of significance and the values they represent.

Reason

Having stood majestically beside an abandoned cottage for decades, two huge and much loved Eucalyptus trees are under threat as the land they stand on has been recently sold. An application has been made for the complete removal of both trees. These two Sugar Gums (Eucalyptus cladocalyx) are of considerable ecological, aesthetic and heritage value to the local community and must be defended. With substantial girths of almost four metres each, both trees classify as significant under Darebin City Council’s Private Tree Protection policy. Council will soon be asked to decide how to apply that policy and must know that the trees are irreplaceable assets.

These trees form part of the Bracken Creek/Bracken Avenue corridor of mature tree canopy, contributing meaningfully to the area’s biodiversity and offering critical habitat opportunities for native wildlife. The trees also support Thornbury’s climate resilience, providing essential mitigation of urban heat, as well as absorption of stormwater runoff in an area historically affected by local flooding. Beyond their ecological contribution, these trees are treasured local landmarks. Their prominent intersection location and the vibrant native birdlife they host brings a vital nature connection to our community. The broader health and wellbeing benefits of this are well documented, with lower rates of depression, obesity, anxiety and heatstroke all being attributed to the amount of greenspace in a neighbourhood, (Kroeser et al, “Acute canopy deficits in global cities exposed by the 3-30-300 benchmark for urban nature”, 2024). Mature tree canopy in Melbourne is suffering a death by 1000 cuts. Darebin Council needs to be doing more to protect mature trees, including valuing the broader social and environmental contribution of trees on private land, like these Sugar Gums.

Thank you for your support, Save Darebin's Trees community group, Thornbury

Question to the initiator