Auckland City Council
Media release

12 November 2009

Protected trees schedule reviewed

Auckland City Council will review its schedule of protected trees in preparation for the Government’s removal of blanket tree protection effective from 1 January 2012 through the Resource Management (Simplifying and Streamlining) Act passed in October. 

The review will cover the scheduled tree list in the isthmus and central area sections of the Auckland City district plan. This will include an assessment of around 300 trees that have been proposed for scheduling by the public within the last 10 years. The purpose of the review is to provide a status report on tree scheduling to the new Auckland Council when it is formed in November 2010 to help it develop region-wide tree policies.

The review will not result in a change to the district plan by Auckland City Council.

City Development Committee chairperson Councillor Aaron Bhatnagar says any updates to the tree schedule or district plan will be decided by the new Auckland Council. “Auckland City Council is just doing the ground work to hand over to the new council. It’s also important to bear in mind other instruments in the planning toolkit such as resource consents, coastal protection, and private convenants,” says Councillor Bhatnagar.

Trees are scheduled as heritage items for their historic, landscape and/or botanical values. Currently there are approximately 2400 scheduled trees in the isthmus and 550 in the Central Area, In addition, specific groups of trees that contribute to the natural ecosystems and landscape are identified and protected in the district plan, e.g. trees on clifflines along the northern and eastern coastline.

ENDS

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