Trees are an important natural asset to the Georges River area and provide many benefits, including providing habitats for native animals, improving air quality, soften traffic noise, and providing shade during warmer weather.
 
Council places a strong emphasis on protecting trees within the local government area, and we have Tree Management Processes in place, which are designed to protect and enhance the urban tree canopy.

By law, you need to obtain a permit under State Environmental Planning Policy (Vegetation in Non-Rural Areas) 2017 to remove or prune certain trees on private or public land that are protected under a Council’s Development Control Plan. Alternatively, if the clearing or pruning is for a purpose that requires development consent under the Local Environmental Plan that applies to the land, the landowner must lodge a development application and the clearing will be assessed as part of that application.
 
Council regularly prosecutes offenders for activities that remove or damage trees without authority. The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 provides that the maximum offence in the Court is $500,000 for an individual and $2 million for a corporation.

An update can be found on the Current Legal Cases Status and Costs webpage.