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Council stops works

 

The article "Tree removal stopped " in Peninsula News gives the impression to the casual reader that council's Tree Protection Committee has recommended that council stop cutting down the swamp mahogany trees in Kahibah Creek and that this recommendation is now "in effect" because of this "recommendation".

The facts are that a hold has been placed on the further removal of eucalyptus robusta (swamp mahogany) trees since February this year when council was sprung by the residents cutting down swamp mahogany trees that council's consultant John Tilly had agreed a few weeks earlier could be retained until council established replacement tree further up the bank.

At the time, Gosford Council had resolved to conduct a walk of the creek by the interested parties to identify and agree on the trees to be removed and to be retained.

The walk ended in farce but a significant outcome was that, because the environmental values of the eucalyptus robusta were to be protected, it was essential that the numerous weed trees be removed.

Everyone who took part in the "walk" agreed that the coral and the willow and the privet trees could go and should go.

But because these trees were big and difficult to remove Council's consultant engineer Dave Simpson ordered that the saplings of eucalyptus robusta be removed because there was easy access to them and although they were tall they were not difficult to remove.

So, in typical Gosford Council fashion, the flick was on when the residents questioned council actions on the same day that Simpson was completing paper work for National Parks.

Instead of diverting his "team" to the removal of the weed trees as had been agreed by all, Council simply stopped work.

Bryan Ellis, Umina