OK to axe 70 Queen St trees

Auckland's main street will be without tree cover for up to 10 years until new ones grow. Picture / Kenny Rodger

Auckland's Queen St will be largely denuded of greenery for up to 10 years after the city council managed to keep the public out of the debate and got its way on cutting down 70 more trees, including 27 healthy ones.

They will be replaced with 95 new trees to create an "avenue" of liquidambars, interplanted with natives.

The decision by three independent commissioners to grant non-notified consent is a victory for Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard and senior staff who have wanted to exclude the public, fearing further costly delays to the Queen St upgrade.

The cost has already blown out from $23 million to $41 million and joined other central city upgrades - notably Vulcan Lane and Khartoum Place - plagued by controversy.

Mr Hubbard has said there is no need for any more consultation on trees because the public had a say in January at the time of the so-called "Queen St massacre" of 20 exotics.

The mayor, who then promised that no healthy trees would be taken out of Queen St, has done a u-turn and endorsed the axing of the 27 healthy trees.

Commissioners Ron Wright, John Hill and Cathy Hawley agreed with the council that the effect of cutting down 70 of the 77 trees - some more than 30 years old and up to 15m tall - between Wellesley St and Customs St was minor and should go ahead without public input.

New liquidambars, about 4m tall, will be planted in large tree pits at ground level to give them a healthier and longer life.

According to the council's landscape advice, Queen St will be largely denuded of greenery for up to 10 years, with pedestrians viewing light poles instead of the lush canopies.

Save Auckland Trees spokeswoman Lesley Max, who in January accused the council of "brazen civic hypocrisy", has endorsed the latest plan to cut down 70 trees for an "avenue of healthy and thriving liquidambars".

Others, including Action Hobson councillor Christine Caughey and Heart of the City board member Hamish Keith, have condemned the loss of mature trees on the promise of a leafy boulevard a decade from now.

The 70 trees are expected to come down over the next 15 months.

Meanwhile, council heritage manager George Farrant said he was pleased the commissioners had made it a condition of the resource consent to keep the original kerbstones in frequent locations down Queen St.

Mr Farrant and the Historic Places Trust had pushed to keep the bluestone kerbstones, saying they added to the unique and distinctive character of Queen St.

The kerbstones were quarried by prisoners in the 19th century and some have circular indentations where old cast-iron verandah posts sat.

* Correction: Juliet Yates was incorrectly named in an earlier version of this story as one of three independent commissioners who granted consent for Auckland City to cut down Queen St trees. The Herald was supplied with the incorrect information by Auckland City. The third commissioner is Cathy Hawley.