Public feedback sought on tree policy

Getting the balance right between maintaining trees in the city landscape without them impinging too much on community movement or activity is key to Wanganui District Council's revised tree policy.

It replaces the 2008 tree policy, was adopted by the council last month and is now out for public consultation.

Councillor Helen Craig, who chaired the advisory group, said the strategy will not please everyone and it had been one of the most difficult strategies to create as it faced competing community interests.

The purpose of this strategy is to provide for a clear and concise framework to manage street trees.

Mrs Craig said a feature of the proposed policy is it aims to set a vision for how the people see the future of trees in city streets. It only applies to those controlled by the council and not privately-owned trees or trees in the country.

"I think we all love our trees, but they can affect our enjoyment of life with roots causing trip hazards, leaves blocking drains and making the place look untidy, unwanted shade and interference with drains and views.

"The cost of maintaining our trees is also a big consideration for council and there is no more money in the budget to increase our expenditure in this area. In fact we might need to consider the possibility of a reducing budget as a real possibility with the advent of the new sewage plant," she said.

Mrs Craig said the advisory group was faced with three main challenges - how to manage the current street trees, many of them in poor condition; how to ensure trees remain part of future urban developments; and how to respond to public expectations of the council's management of trees. Many of the trees are alive and highly valued by the community and a small number of them are protected by the district plan.

But a lot of the older street trees are in poor condition and need to be renewed urgently.

She said with the strategy out for consultation "the more eyes that look at it, and the more feedback we get, the better the final document will be".

"Recent submissions on the proposed signage policy resulted in major changes to the draft and allowed for many of the signs to remain in place and provisions relaxed. I know there were a lot of relieved retailers and businesses, and that was all made possible only because they took the time to make a submission," she said.

"If you like the strategy, then tell us. If we only get negative responses we won't get a balanced view of what the entire community thinks."

-People can make online submissions at www.wanganui.govt.nz/haveyoursay or collect copies from the council office or city libraries. Submissions close at 5pm on December 14.