[North Eveleigh] FW: CME tree removal at North Eveleigh in Wilson St Darlington

Wed Dec 12 20:25:22 EST 2012

Dear North Eveleigh people

There have been some concerns raised about the removal of trees planned for
in front of the CMEs building to the Redfern Station end of the site.

Concerns were raised with Council and the SMDA and the tree removal has been
delayed a week. Below you will find the response from Council to questions
raised at the last Council Meeting which has been passed on by Irene
Doutney.

If you have any further concerns regarding this matter please contact Juliet
Suich at the SMDA or Garry Harding from Council.

Finally a reminder that if you have any suggestions to make regarding the
planning for the two parks on the Newtown end of the park please get these
in in the next couple of days - for more details see North Eveleigh Parks -
Invitation to Contribute to Design by 17 December 2012.
<http://www.redwatch.org.au/RWA/statesignificant/northeveleigh/ahousing/1212
17smda> 

The landscaping / park proposed near the Western entrance can be seen at
Landscaping for Park near North Eveleigh Western Entrance
<http://www.redwatch.org.au/RWA/statesignificant/northeveleigh/ahousing/1212
03smda> 

The SMDA have submitted their intention for the Affordable Housing at North
Eveleigh to the Department of Planning to obtain the Departments
requirements for their "DA". You can see the initial intention (including
proposed car allowance for different sized units) at North Eveleigh
Affordable Housing Project
<http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=57
08> .

Regards,

Geoff

Geoffrey Turnbull

Spokesperson

REDWatch

Ph Wk: (02) 8004 1490  Mob: 0418 457 392

email: mail at redwatch.org.au 

web: www.redwatch.org.au 

From: Irene Doutney [mailto:idoutney at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au] 
Sent: Wednesday, 12 December 2012 10:52 AM
To: 'geoff at turnbulls. au. com'
Subject: Fwd: CME tree removal at North Eveleigh in Wilson St Darlington

Hi Geoff

Just about to leave for airport and saw the below email. Can you pass on
info to Wilson St residents who were concerned please?

Have a great Xmas see you when I get back

Cheers

Irene

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: Garry Harding <GHARDING at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au>
Date: 12 December 2012 8:22:44 AM AEDT
To: Clrs&Support Staff <Clrs
<mailto:Clrs&SupportStaff at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au>
&SupportStaff at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au>
Cc: Joel Johnson <jjohnson at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au>, Karen Sweeney
<ksweeney at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au>
Subject: FW: CME tree removal at North Eveleigh in Wilson St Darlington

Lord Mayor and Councillors

The Chief Mechanical Engineer's Office and the Scientific Services building
(CME), located on Wilson Street, Darlington, are state significant heritage
buildings and date back to the 1880's.  The Government Architect's Office
and Heritage Services Branch have been engaged by the Sydney Metropolitan
Development Authority (SMDA) to undertake essential conservation maintenance
on these two buildings, in accordance with the Heritage Act, 1977.

As part of the works, the project's Heritage Architect has recommended the
removal of seven London Plane trees from the northern side of the CME
building at the Wilson Street frontage. The seven trees are located in front
of a concrete plank retaining wall along Wilson Street that traps
groundwater (see attached photos). The elevated soil levels in which the
trees are growing is covering sub floor vents and directing surface runoff
under the building causing damage to timber elements of the building.

Tree removal will allow the lowering of the ground levels adjacent to the
building that will reinstate air flow to low level vents, together with
installation of new stormwater drainage and weepholes to the retaining wall.

The (SMDA) applied to remove the trees and a permit was issued on 21
November 2012 following a comprehensive assessment of the trees and building
works required. 

The trees are only semi mature (planted around 1990) and the damage caused
to the building will only get worse. City staff considered whether other
viable alternatives were available, such as pruning the roots or putting in
place other treatments given the trees' close proximity to the state listed
heritage building.  

Whilst the City appreciates the amenity and other benefits the trees
provide, they are not considered significant specimens, and their removal
was supported to enable the state listed heritage building to be repaired.
Replacement planting is a condition of the tree removal permit and the SDMA
are required to plant two replacement trees at the completion of the works.
There are 3 street trees in the footpath outside the CME building and there
is scope to plant a further 3 trees in the street after the Plane trees have
been removed.  The City will plant the additional street trees in the next
planting season which commences in April 2013.    The SMDA have also advised
that the area between the building and the front fence will be landscaped at
the completion of the works.

The SDMA have complied with the permit requirements to place signs advising
of the tree removals two days before the tree removals take place.  The SMDA
had advised that the tree removals were to take place on Tuesday 11 December
2012, however, in light of recent concerns raised by local residents have
delayed the removals until Tuesday 18 December to provide more information
regarding the works.  SMDA have advised that they will be talking to local
residents who have contacted them about the tree removals to discuss the
reasons for the work and replacement planting.  Further information
regarding the works can be obtained from SMDA - contact Juliet Suich - P:
9202 9118/0431 576 922, E:   <mailto:Juliet.Suich at smda.nsw.gov.au>
Juliet.Suich at smda.nsw.gov.au.

Regards . Garry

From: Peter Spencer [mailto:pspencer at netspace.net.au] 
Sent: Friday, 7 December 2012 2:02 PM
To: Clover Moore; Irene Doutney; Linda Scott
Subject: Fwd: CME trees

Dear Clover Moore, Irene Doutney and Linda Scott,

Below please find below correspondence between myself and Geoff Turnbull of
the Redwatch Group.

I apologies for sending this to a group in this way but as Geoff says time
is of the essence and we have just received this and have grandparent duties
in half an hour until late.

In essence this is about the apparently imminent removal of trees from in
front of the heritage listed CME building in Wilson Street Darlington, part
of the North Eveleigh redevelopment.

The only notification residents received was a pamphlet sent from Juliet
Suich's office earlier this week. I had asked informally the workman digging
up the area and was told trees would be removed early next week(Tuesday was
mentioned). Suddenly this morning a notice appeared on the fence,a letter of
confirmation of approval from the Council, dated 21st of last month. Please
find this below and also recent correspondence with Geoff..Juliet Suich has
not supplied any information to me.

As Geoff suggests we would like an urgent stay of removal to allow further
investigation of their true impact on this building, this time involving the
local residents and an independent arborist.

Regards,

Brenda Spencer

Peter & Brenda Spencer

412/181 Lawson St.

Darlington, NSW, 2008

0413 231 907

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Geoff Turnbull" <geoff at turnbulls.au.com>
Date: 7 December 2012 13:19:25 AEDT
To: "'Peter Spencer'" <pspencer at netspace.net.au>
Subject: RE: CME trees
Reply-To: <geoff at turnbulls.au.com>

Hi Peter and Brenda

Thanks for the information - as Council has approved it will be difficult to
stop. I might see Irene this afternoon and can talk to her about the
problem. If you have not done so already you should ring the council officer
and discuss the matter with her as she will get to respond to anything that
goes to Council. If you are not happy you should let her know you are
contacting councillors about it.

Next I think you should Urgently write to Clover Moore
cmoore at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au and Juliet Suich saying that Council has
given approval for removal based on visual inspection only but that you have
reasons to believe that the reported impact on the building is not as
claimed and that you want removal of the trees delayed until there is
further investigation of their true impact on the CME's building.

At same time you should contact Councillors Irene Doutney
(idoutney at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au) Greens  and Linda Scott
(lscott at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au) ALP and ask them to urgently take up the
issue with Council with a view to getting a stay on removal until the
situation is investigated and the need to remove the trees demonstrated.

Given the trees can now be removed on or after Sunday you should get on to
this this afternoon.

I am out this afternoon so I cannot get something out before the end of the
day but if you can do this, and get any others concerned about this to do
this it might get a stay until situation is clarified.

Regards,

Geoff

Geoffrey Turnbull

Spokesperson

REDWatch

Ph Wk: (02) 8004 1490  Mob: 0418 457 392

email: mail at redwatch.org.au 

web: www.redwatch.org.au 

From: Peter Spencer [mailto:pspencer at netspace.net.au] 
Sent: Friday, 7 December 2012 12:11 PM
To: <geoff at turnbulls.au.com>
Subject: CME trees

Dear Geoff,

I have a nasty feeling that everyone is procrastinating and the trees will
be gone early next week. Maybe they need to go, maybe some need to go, maybe
none need to go.

It's now about Council, SMDA and Rail Corp going about this in totally the
wrong way.

We are continually told ( particularly with Sydney City Council) about open
and transparent government, full discussion, community groups informing the
discussion but it seems that when they want to do something like this it can
be done with secrecy up until the removal is about to happen. 

Below is the belated notification stuck up on the fence this morning (late
last night?). The pamphlet slightly enlarged is there too.

A resident opposite read this this morning and is ringing the Council. He
got the pamphlet but there is no indication of the imminent removal date on
it. I only found out by casually asking the workman removing the bricks
around the trees yesterday if he knew when the trees were going to be
removed. 

We rang the Redfern branch of the City of Sydney Council yesterday and Annie
said she didn't know about it and that Rail Corp did not need Council
permission but that she'd pass it on. We tried to contact them again this
morning but only an answer phone operating to Debbie Anne Evans, the
Manager.

You will see in the letter below, however,  that the Council was involved
and has given permission on 21/11/2012 after an above ground visual
inspection only. Four reasons are then given for the consent. Of these four
three are merely guesswork. Visual inspection shows no substantial damage to
the building. In fact the worst damage is at the SW end of the front and
there is no tree there! 

If there is no visual damage to the building now, continued growth is
unlikely to suddenly contribute to it;  neglect of the building itself has
caused major damage over the last few years.The earlier lopping of the trees
has been done carefully, no branches grow towards the building and the
health of the trees negates the idea that they might start producing weak
branches impacting the building.

It is infuriating to residents, some of whom have tried to have trees merely
lopped when they impact a neighbour's house, to find that none of the hoops
and refusals and costs apply here. Do we know when the Council decided to
allow this? Was there a Council meeting? Was there notification to the
public of this meeting? Why is it that your organisation, the most important
voice for residents in the area, received no information about this?

And, most importantly, ....now what? Residents left whistling in the wind.
People power only works if they are informed early and allowed to
participate in the debate. 

How does one join your North Eveleigh group?

Regards,

Brenda Spencer

-- 

Peter Spencer

412/181 Lawson St., Darlington. NSW. Australia. 2008

(02) 9318 1570

(Peter)  mobile 0413 231907

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