The large messmate stringybark – a type of eucalyptus identified as a crucial habitat and food source for koalas – was chopped down in Kline St by developers at a residential home in November.

The Friends of Canadian Corridor (FoCC) say that the tree, which probably predated the gold rush, should have been protected. It is the latest in a sequence of tree removals they believe shows the council failing to protect trees and koalas effectively. 

FoCC secretary Jeffrey Rootes said a neighbour’s query about the tree’s removal – which took place as part of works carried by residential home owners Royal Freemasons – went unanswered.

On the original planning permission, the development was granted on the condition a tree management plan by a suitably qualified arborist be submitted and approved. The tree management plan, it specified, “must detail measures to protect and ensure the viability of the eucalypt tree to the Kline Street Frontage”.

FoCC formally wrote to the council on Tuesday last week, asking if there had been a permit granted for the tree’s removal, and if there would be repercussions if not. 

While they had not yet received a response, a council spokesperson confirmed to The Courier that a permit had been obtained to remove a native tree in June 2017. The permit cited “inherent structural problems in the poorly formed main branch unions throughout the majority of the tree canopy.”

The council’s acting director of infrastructure and environment Natalie Robertson said the removal was supported by an independent arborist’s assessment, and was approved by both council and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DEWLP). “Officers were comfortable the application could proceed without notification,” she said.

For FoCC, the tree’s disappearance is symptomatic of a council failure to stick to Ballarat’s Koala Plan, which was worked into the city’s official planning strategy in 2010.  

Mr Rootes, a resident of Canadian of 25 years, wrote in an email: “The City of Ballarat council talks the talk, but when it comes to actually protecting the natural heritage of the east, they in practice, do nothing.” 

“In the eight years of the Koala Plan we cannot find one tree the City of Ballarat has planted but we know they have approved a lot to be removed.”

“Many commitments were made to increasing the amount of koala habitat, the provision of a senior manager in charge of the koala plan, keeping count of koalas and restrictions on the removal of koala habitat on private land. None of these things have happened.”

The Koala Plan evolved over several years after a Ballarat community survey in 2002 revealed overwhelming local support for the conservation of the iconic Australian marsupial. It outlined measures to control dog ownership, improve traffic management, increase tree planting and habitat restoration. It also advocated an increase in tree preservation orders and stronger planning controls over urban development.

In response to the FoCC criticisms, Ms Robertson said:  "Council is confident that the processes and legal channels available are resulting in reasonable outcomes envisaged by the Koala Plan." 

According to DELWP, koalas in Victoria are threatened by dogs and traffic but says that their biggest threat by far is “habitat loss and fragmentation”. 

This week an environmental group in south-west Victoria suggested koalas around Wannon were threatened, and that Federal Government was wildly over-estimating the marsupial’s population number. They cited habitat loss as a major factor. 

Back in November, residents complained after 12 koala-friendly trees were cut down on private land near Bunkers Hill.

Mount Clear/ Canadian development since 2004

The Courier has reported previously that the council lacks a staff member responsible for the environment, although the director of infrastructure and environment Terry Demeo said at the time there were plans to appoint “additional sustainability staff.” A number of local groups have also called for the council to pay more attention to the environment.

Ms Robertson said the council’s statutory planning unit was “suitably resourced to ensure due attention is given to matters of this nature.”

The Courier also contacted residential care home owners Royal Freemasons for comment but did not receive a response.