Leaves that fall from plane trees on State Highway One in Levin are a bugbear for retailers.
Leaves that fall from plane trees on State Highway One in Levin are a bugbear for retailers.
Levin retailers struggling to co-exist with trees in the middle of town are disappointed by a decision not to have some of them cut down.
Leaves bigger than dinner plates fall from a line of London plane trees on Oxford St every summer and autumn, clogging internal drains and flooding some shops in heavy rain.
Horowhenua District Council last week withdrew its Notified Resource Consent application to remove 27 of its 38 town trees, pre-empting that a backlash from tree lovers would mean a costly consent process was unlikely to succeed.
Horowhenua Chronicle couldn’t find one retailer in the town centre happy with the decision. The general concern was that the existing variety of town tree was costing them - and ratepayers - money.
It only took one leaf to seal off a downpipe or drain causing stormwater to pool on rooftops, or near the road edge, making it impossible for customers to exit a vehicle without getting wet socks.
The breed of tree is famed for its ability to thrive in cramped quarters surrounded by concrete, although rogue roots are buckling footpaths, even threatening to compromise the structure of at least one building.
Paint and wallpaper specialist Graham Hook from Guthrie Bowron in Levin sweeping up the leaves from the London plane trees.
Guthrie Bowron’s Peter Murphy said leaves clog internal pipes causing stormwater to flood his shop. The water pools on his roof and runs down the inside of the walls.
Murphy routinely climbs onto the roof and clears bagfuls of leaves away to prevent his shop from flooding. It had cost money to replace rotten carpet and hire blowers to dry out new carpet in the aftermath of any heavy rain.
“They’re a financial burden to business owners,” he said.
Leaves block drains causing water to pool over car parks on Oxford Street in Levin.
“They gave them a good haircut a few years ago and so it wasn’t so bad for a few years following that, but they’re a hell of a lot bigger again now.”
Shane Saville from Saville’s Meats said his shop has flooded regularly due to leaves blocking the guttering on the shop roof and the gutter outside his shop. It only took one leaf to form a seal over a drainhole or downpipe, acting like nature’s perfect plug.
When it rained, water banked up from the guttering outside his butchery and it was hard for customers to exit their cars without getting wet shoes.
Saville said the problem wasn’t just flooding. He has often come to the aid of a pedestrian that had fallen after tripping on ridges in the footpath caused by tree roots.
“How much does this all cost the ratepayer to repair? It’s only going to get worse,” he said.
“It’s a health and safety issue.”
The leaves of the London plane trees block gutters of buildings on Oxford Street bin Levin.
Bruce Hall from Sponge Kitchen Cafe said he found it hard to sleep in heavy rain knowing the cafe floor could be flooded when he arrived the next morning.
He regularly climbs the roof to unblock a drain leading to an internal downpipe.
“If we don’t, it floods. It even comes down the light fittings,” he said.
“The leaves blow into the shop constantly. You can’t fault council, they have someone come along and blow them off the footpath, but then that must come at a cost, too?”
Other shop owners contacted by Horowhenua Chronicle did not want to be named.
“We don’t want to be seen as anti-tree. We just want trees that are fit for purpose,” one business owner said.
“One leaf can block a drain. You need gumboots just to get out of the car.”
London plane tree leaves have a span of more than 300mm.
Another who didn’t want to be named said the leaves had caused the street veranda outside the shop front to rust. It was deemed dangerous and replaced before it fell down.
He said some businesses were struggling to get insurance due to the number of times their shops had flooded.
“As much as they are a part of Levin, how much are they costing us? Would you live in a house with a tree like that hanging over it? People think they’re wonderful, but we deal with this directly. I think it’s time we looked at a long term solution.”
London plane trees adapt well to urban landscapes and are common in many of the world’s largest cities, although they seem to create headaches for municipality wherever they are. They can mature to a height of more than 30m, and grow just as wide.
In some cities London plane trees have been outlawed. Melbourne has begun a staged removal of its London plane trees, which make up 70 percent of that city’s inner-city tree population.
Sydney has 4000 plane trees, although authorities are replacing them with other species better suited to the urban climate.
A 1993 photo of Oxford Street in Levin shows the line of London plane trees and their ample foliage.
South Wairarapa District Council has outlawed the planting of London plane trees. A petition from residents led to seven urban plane trees in Alexandra given the chop in 2020.
In contrast, Matamata-Piako District Council in 2021 voted not to fell 22 plane trees in urban Matamata, in favour of ongoing maintenance, while in recent years Whanganui District Council had planted some London plane trees in the city centre.
Horowhenua District Council had planned to cut 27 trees between Queen Street West and Devon Street at their base and grind the stumps down below the level of the asphalt, which would be resealed and turned into parking.
However, the trees had Notable Tree status under the Operative District Plan, requiring a rigorous resource consent process for their removal, involving submissions from the public.
A 1910 photo of Oxford Street in Levin shows the row of London plane trees, which were planted in 1897. Photo: Kete Horowhenua.
HDC based its decision to withdraw the application on the strength of a public submission process last year where 120 submission were received on the issue, representing the views of 0.33 percent of the district’s population.
Of those submissions, 88 were opposed to their removal, a majority citing a variety of aesthetic, environmental and cultural concerns, suggesting HDC would have no guarantee of a resolution at the end of a costly resource consent process.
So now, HDC was “pausing” to look at its options.
HDC chief executive Monique Davidson said it was “essential to take a step back and reassess our approach. While some may be disappointed by the decision not to proceed with hearings, the costs to proceed to hearings is significant, and given the feedback received, the chances of gaining consent to remove the trees is unlikely”, she said.
“We need to acknowledge this reality and work together to find the best way forward for Levin.”
London Plane trees line Levin's Oxford Street but are causing trouble, getting into sewers, stormwater pipes and pushing up asphalt.
In the meantime, the council was looking at alternative solutions through a comprehensive review of all Notable Trees across the district. Trees on the Notable Tree register cannot be removed unless they are dead or pose an immediate danger to life or property.
It had been anticipated that any trees removed would be replaced with smaller species that align with council’s own Levin Town Centre Strategy.
London Plane trees lend themselves well to pruning and can be pollarded or trained to form an espalier or canopy, and can be pruned at various times of the year, although pollarding of the Levin trees ceased in 1993 and was not permitted under their current Notable Tree status.
Last year, HDC set aside $180,000 to manage the trees, which were planted in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
The trees are almost 128-years-old and can live for several hundred years.
London plane trees have large seeds as well as large leaves. Photo / File
They are a hybrid of two sycamore species; the American sycamore, native to Eastern and Central North America, and the Oriental sycamore, native to Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
The exact origin of the hybrid is uncertain, with some suggestions it came from Spain, southern France, and England.
The tree had flourished since the 17th century when it was widely planted in London before and throughout the industrial revolution, where it was found to tolerate the smoky air.
