The Local Planning Panel has asked some hard questions about the tree at the centre of a development application at 11 Trelawney Street, Killarney Vale.
The Local Planning Panel deferred a decision on whether the Norfolk Island Pine tree could be demolished, awaiting answers from Central Coast Council planning staff and the applicant to a number of questions.
In a unanimous decision, the Panel cited insufficient information and inadequate analysis as reasons for the deferral.
The applicant is requested to provide Council with advice as to the current arrangements allowing it to use an existing driveway that services two properties and attempts made to secure the driveway’s continued use through legal means such as via an easement.
“If no such attempts have been made, advice on the rationale for this position is requested,” the panel said in its judgement.
The applicant is also to provide Council with documents to support its assertion in the public meeting (held by the panel as a zoom meeting on March 24) that it had a previous design for the development that allowed the Norfolk Island Pine in front of the site to be retained, and its assertion that Council advised against this approach.
Council is to provide the Panel with the detailed plans it referred to in the public meeting that show proposed stormwater flow and detention on site.
Council is also to provide advice to the Panel re the process undertaken, the factors it considered and the circumstances in which it determined that the tree should be listed on the Significant Tree Register.
At Council’s cost, the panel wants a thorough independent assessment of the medium and long term viability of its tree including root assessment should no development proceed, should development proceed with no disturbance to the existing garage slab and existing driveway, and should development proceed as proposed.
The homeowner wants to demolish the house and build a new two storey home and the application to Council attracted more than 150 submissions, many wanting to save the tree.
The report is to be provided to the Panel before May 31 meeting.
Merilyn Vale