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Homes to replace Flaxmere trees
11.02.2006
CHRIS GARDNER
A stand of more than 100 aging gum trees in Flaxmere will be felled by the Hastings District Council to make way for a five-hectare "high-quality residential development".
Council chief executive officer Murray Gilbertson said the block of land between Chatham Road, Caernarvon Drive, Swansea Road and Flaxmere College, belonged to the council and would be sold for development.
Subdivision had become a commercial reality due to the recent demand for housing in Flaxmere, he said.
"Council is aware of a significant number of people, including the elderly, who would like to relocate closer to the shops, medical centre and other facilities," he said.
"A new residential development is good news for Flaxmere as it will most certainly complement its commercial heart.
"Council was carefully preparing specifications for the area and would then call for proposals from developers interested in that land," he said.
The decision to fell the trees was made during a publicly excluded segment of the council meeting on Thursday after arborist Christ Hinton, of Katsura Tree Consultancy in Auckland, said the overall health of the stand of 102 trees, which are 90 years old, was patchy.
Flaxmere councillor Keriana Poulain said she supported the felling but wanted the council to consult residents before the trees were felled.
"The only regret that I have is that the community was not able to have their say before the decision was made," she said.
Cr David Pearse, who also represents Flaxmere, agreed, as did Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule and Deputy Mayor Cynthia Bowers.
Mr Yule said the trees were not in a public reserve but on private land owned by the council.
"We all agreed that they should come out," he said. The trees had cost $29,000 in maintenance in 2000 and 2001, and the potential danger their falling branches posed was increasing with age.
"The ongoing maintenance cost to the ratepayer just doesn't make sense when the trees are at the declining phase of their lifecycle," Mr Gilbertson said.
11.02.2006
CHRIS GARDNER
A stand of more than 100 aging gum trees in Flaxmere will be felled by the Hastings District Council to make way for a five-hectare "high-quality residential development".
Council chief executive officer Murray Gilbertson said the block of land between Chatham Road, Caernarvon Drive, Swansea Road and Flaxmere College, belonged to the council and would be sold for development.
Subdivision had become a commercial reality due to the recent demand for housing in Flaxmere, he said.
"Council is aware of a significant number of people, including the elderly, who would like to relocate closer to the shops, medical centre and other facilities," he said.
"A new residential development is good news for Flaxmere as it will most certainly complement its commercial heart.
"Council was carefully preparing specifications for the area and would then call for proposals from developers interested in that land," he said.
The decision to fell the trees was made during a publicly excluded segment of the council meeting on Thursday after arborist Christ Hinton, of Katsura Tree Consultancy in Auckland, said the overall health of the stand of 102 trees, which are 90 years old, was patchy.
Flaxmere councillor Keriana Poulain said she supported the felling but wanted the council to consult residents before the trees were felled.
"The only regret that I have is that the community was not able to have their say before the decision was made," she said.
Cr David Pearse, who also represents Flaxmere, agreed, as did Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule and Deputy Mayor Cynthia Bowers.
Mr Yule said the trees were not in a public reserve but on private land owned by the council.
"We all agreed that they should come out," he said. The trees had cost $29,000 in maintenance in 2000 and 2001, and the potential danger their falling branches posed was increasing with age.
"The ongoing maintenance cost to the ratepayer just doesn't make sense when the trees are at the declining phase of their lifecycle," Mr Gilbertson said.
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