{"id":449662,"date":"2025-12-15T23:21:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T23:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/449662\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T23:21:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T23:21:19","slug":"london-plane-trees-to-be-removed-in-hamilton-following-infrastructure-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/449662\/","title":{"rendered":"London plane trees to be removed in Hamilton following infrastructure concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

London plane trees will be removed from a south-west Victorian city, as a growing number of councils across the country try to phase out the species.<\/p>\n

Southern Grampians Shire Council has confirmed 25 plane trees are in line for removal in Hamilton, and the future of another 75 trees will be considered.<\/p>\n

The issue came under the spotlight in April, when the council was told older people with mobility issues avoided the town centre because of the trees.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The streets of Hamilton have warped as the London plane trees have grown. (ABC News: Emily Bissland)<\/p>\n

Impact ‘cannot be ignored’\u00a0<\/p>\n

The council organised an advisory committee to help determine the future of the trees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Group member Sarah Hope joined after she created a petition to save the trees.<\/p>\n

Ms Hope said the trees added “charm” to the city, and had a positive impact on local climate, biodiversity and mental health.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Sarah Hope led a campaign to save the 40-year-old London plane trees. (ABC News: Emily Bissland)<\/p>\n

Now Ms Hope accepts that some of the trees need to go, and the group is “overwhelmingly” in favour of their removal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We had our first meeting, and we were presented with arborist reports and engineer reports,” Ms Hope said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“The reports were quite damning for [the trees], unfortunately.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Southern Grampians Shire councillor Afton Barber said the decision to remove the trees was hard, but necessary.<\/p>\n

“The trees have long been an iconic fixture within our streets, but their impact cannot be ignored,” Cr Barber said.<\/p>\n

“We need streets that are safe for residents and visitors of all abilities so they can feel confident to shop and socialise in Hamilton.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Southern Grampians Shire Council has documented root damage to a building on Gray Street. (Supplied: Southern Grampians Shire Council)<\/p>\n

Keeping it green\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ms Hope said the advisory group would now focus on how greenery and shade protection could be retained on Gray Street.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It became incumbent on me and other members of the group who did want to keep the trees to come up with a solution,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ms Hope said she wanted another tree to replace the London planes and for vertical gardens to be installed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The advisory group will also investigate whether other London plane trees should be removed from the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This is going to be the next best scenario for those that love a green centre of Gray Street,” Ms Hope said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“This is a test pilot for the rest of the town.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

London plane flowers release pollen, but the trichomes on their leaves are a more common irritant. (ABC News: Emily Bissland)<\/p>\n

The council said it was working on an updated design, including proposals for replacement tree species, greening walls and alternative footpath treatments for Gray Street.<\/p>\n

It will also develop the updated concept designs for further community engagement next year, and consider the removal of about 75 other London plane trees in the city.<\/p>\n

‘Better to spend the money and have the trees’<\/p>\n

University of Melbourne horticulture expert Greg Moore said the removal of London plane trees was common across metropolitan and regional areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“[Councils] see the problems associated with these trees \u2026 but they forget the benefits,” Dr Moore said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“When those trees are removed, it will make a huge difference to the streetscape in Hamilton, and it will make a significant difference to temperatures in summer.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Greg Moore says the council could face similar issues in the future with different tree species. (ABC News: Darryl Torpy)<\/p>\n

Mr Moore said there should be stronger investment in maintaining the trees.<\/p>\n

He questioned the council’s finding that Gray Street was unsuitable due to its narrowness, given the many plane trees that lined the tight streets of London.<\/p>\n

“The issue here is that they simply don’t give them the priority that they should be given,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mr Moore said.<\/p>\n

“It’s much better to spend the money and have the trees than to lose them.”\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"London plane trees will be removed from a south-west Victorian city, as a growing number of councils across…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":449663,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[717,206696,24320,4740,206695,12514,175546,206694,50,11441,24049],"class_list":{"0":"post-449662","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-access","9":"tag-all-abilities","10":"tag-allergies","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-council-planning","13":"tag-diversity","14":"tag-footpath","15":"tag-london-plane-tree","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-tree","18":"tag-urban-planning"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115726155663979765","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=449662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449662\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/449663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=449662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=449662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=449662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}