Clover cares not a fig for residents’ wishes
June 27th, 2007
Paddington’s fig-tree lovers are furious. In the face of overwhelming resident opposition, Clover Moore on Monday night used her casting vote in Council to support a policy that will decimate one of Sydney’s few remaining avenues of fig trees.
Selwyn Street Paddington is lined by Hills Weeping Fig trees forming a cathedral-like canopy similar to the main avenue of Hyde Park. Along with nearby Napier Street, they are listed on Council’s Significant Tree Register.
When two of the trees did what trees do and invaded residents’ property, causing damage, Council decided to replace them with Lilly Pillys and to continue doing so as the figs in the street died off or became a problem, claiming that the new species was less invasive. However an independent arborist, engaged by residents, disputes this. The new species is just as invasive but will take around twice as long to grow.
Deputy Lord Mayor Greens Cr Chris Harris: “While planting Lilly Pillys might delay damage to property in the short term, it will mean that Selwyn street will have no tree canopy for around 60 years and when the trees do eventually grow, unlike the Hills Figs that allow a beautiful dappled light, the Lilly Pilly’s dense leaf mass will significantly darken the street.
“By using her casting vote Clover Moore has ensured that the magical charm the fig trees have created in Selwyn Street will be destroyed.”
Residents collected a petition of 317 signatures showing that 80 percent of Selwyn Street residents supported the fig trees.
“The conflicting arborist’s reports prove that the need to remove the Hills Figs is a matter of opinion. Given this and the amount of resident support for the fig trees, you would have thought Clover Moore would have used her casting vote to vote for the residents, not against them,” said Cr Harris.
