Tree works

As part of our investigations to renew the playground, an independent arborist completed a health check on each tree in and around Hays Paddock Playground.

The arborist recommended that:

  • 15 trees need to be removed due to poor health, structural issues, or because they are nearing the end of their life.
  • 14 trees need to be pruned to improve their health and structure, and to manage future risk.

The arborist also reviewed the draft concept design to see if it would impact the trees nearby.

They recommended that in the area next to the proposed swings and seating:

  • 1 medium-value tree will need to be removed to build the new playground
  • 1 other medium-value tree may need to be removed to build the new playground. We will decide this action after a root investigation.

The arborist has assessed these 2 trees to have medium value for a few reasons, including:

  • being in good or fair health
  • having fair structure
  • maturing to a medium size.

The arborist recommended all tree works happen before any construction on the playground starts mid-to-late-2023.

Our trees team accepts all recommendations and will oversee tree management works.

To offset any trees that we need to remove, we will plant at least 17 new trees as part of the playground works.

Car park upgrade

We will upgrade part of the car park to meet the Australian Standards for accessible car parking and improve access for everyone.

As part of our investigations to upgrade the car park, our arborists identified an additional 9 trees which are dead or have significant structural issues. These trees need to be removed and will be replaced where possible with new trees.