A Highlands resident has claimed the council has tried to "muzzle community input" following the Ordinary Meeting of Wingecarribee Shire Council on August 12, 2020.
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Ms Janine Armstrong was invited to speak at the public forum portion of the council meeting concerning the removal of two European nettle trees in Station Street, Bowral, in May.
In her address to council, Ms Armstrong said she was concerned about the removal of two European nettle trees and lack of public consultation and knowledge.
"I'm a very concerned resident and I'm speaking out at this meeting because I want to put it on notice to the council that the broader community should understand the evidence of what is happening with the Station Street upgrade," she said.
"I was very concerned back in May that two trees were removed from Station Street before the final plan for the Station Street upgrade was published, or were made aware to anybody."
Ms Armstrong said she had emailed the mayor, Councillor Duncan Gair, about the tree removal, saying that in his response he had said the trees were removed following a council motion, a fact she disputed.
The notice of motion proposed by Councillors Ken Halstead, Garry Turland and Larry Whipper and was passed by council was put forward at the August 14, 2019 ordinary meeting of council.
The motion was for council staff to commence the "cleaning up of rubbish and removal of the regrowth and overgrown weeds and rubbish in the drain from Bowral Street and the northern council carpark."
Acting general manager Barry Paull said that he could clarify events to a certain point.
"At the end of the day Ms Armstrong has a different point of view," he said.
"My investigations indicate that we received an email from Ms Armstrong on May 5, 2020 which raised concerns.
"It attached four images, a picture of a truck chipper, a stump grinder, a picture of the southern part of Station Street, and one is a picture of a tree which could possibly be one of the trees on the side of the car park driveway.
"In broad terms, the email from Ms Armstrong was that council shouldn't have proceeded with the work."
Mr Paull said that the mayor's reply spoke about the project to clean up the drain and various self-seeding weeds, trees and a "collection of things."
"The significant trees that had value were left intact and not touched."
Mr Paull said councillors were briefed earlier in the day about the the two European nettle trees which were the subject of the public forum.
"They came out due to public safety," he said.
"They were a danger to the public and we established that today with the information provided by council's manager of parks and open space.
"Those trees came out because they were dangerous."
The Southern Highland News spoke to Ms Armstrong and Cr Gair after the meeting.
"I think the issue for me is, all the mayor had to do was say 'I'm sorry I've made a mistake' or correct it before the meeting happened," Ms Armstrong said.
"He didn't and now he's trying to muzzle community input.
"The community more broadly should be getting more access to council not less."
Cr Gair said he didn't believe there was any reference to the trees in the email he received.
"The email reply I sent was in response to the context that the trees within the road reserve on Station Street had been removed, not specific trees," he said.
"I will have to agree to disagree to her response and the way the email was interpreted."
A Wingecarribee Shire Council spokesperson said the trees were removed as part of the council's internal tree assessment.
"The removal of the trees was based on the internal tree assessment process, which is a totally different process to what the station street project was assessing the trees for," they said.
"The trees were removed for several reasons. They included:
- The trees were structurally compromised with fungal decay throughout the structural components of the trees
- The trees were impacted every year by elm leaf beetle, this had increased the rate of decline.
- The trees were in a state of decline that was not going to stop until they failed
- The traffic and pedestrian movements under the trees increased the likelihood of contact should the trees fail.
- A tree that was the same species, in the same location and with the same defects failed 12-18 months ago. Crashing over the station street, it was lucky no one was injured."
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Vera Demertzis
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
