Council would like to respond to a letter to the editor that appeared in the Redland City Bulletin 17 September entitled “City’s tallest tree could face the axe”.
This letter suggested there was a plan being devised to cut down a Cook Island Pine in Beachrest Road, Wellington Point and that a decision could be made “behind closed doors”.
It needs to be made clear that there are no current plans to cut down this tree and any decision regarding the future of this tree and the Vegetation Protection Order over it will be made in a publicly accessible General Council Meeting with the community able and welcome to attend. Any decision will follow completion of a specialist arboricultural assessment being conducted to determine the safety of the tree. This assessment will be publicly available as part of the General Meeting agenda. Council officers will review the arboricultural assessment before making recommendation to Council.
The matter of this tree and the VPO over it has been before open Council meetings a number of times, with Council previously electing to retain the VPO.
