The municipality has 25.7 per cent tree canopy. While council-owned land has 43 per cent coverage, private land – which accounts for 80 per cent of Boroondara – has 24 per cent coverage.
“The government says it wants 30 per cent tree canopy cover, yet the [planning] changes do the exact opposite – shrinking setbacks, reducing open space and making it even easier to remove trees,” Torney said.
“You can’t have it both ways. Without space for trees to grow, the target is meaningless.
“Add to that the lack of controls on private dwellings, and we’re looking at a loss of green cover at a time when we need the opposite.”
City of Whitehorse mayor Andrew Davenport said he was concerned the changes eroded the council’s ability to protect tree cover and would “seriously undermine” its canopy goals.
Whitehorse had 18 per cent canopy cover in 2018 and is aiming to achieve 30 per cent by 2050.
“The changes would remove local variation in zones including Whitehorse’s landscaping requirements, which require canopy trees to be planted,” Davenport said.
The council has a temporary “significant landscape overlay”, with strict tree removal rules across the municipality, which the state government has extended every six to 12 months since 2018. It next expires in June.
Davenport said the council wanted the overlay to be made permanent because of its lasting positive impacts on tree canopy.
Blackburn and District Tree Preservation Society president David Morrison said the government’s canopy targets did not add up.
“It’s disheartening and concerning,” Morrison said. “The government is conflicted in its own policies. It wants a greener, cooler Melbourne while … trying to pack more and more buildings in.
“If 30 per cent was achievable, we would have something close to that already in Whitehorse.”
Dr Thami Croeser, who researches urban greening at RMIT’s Centre for Urban Research, said that while 10 per cent canopy on new developments was better than nothing, the government’s conflicting targets implied public land, particularly streets, would need to do the heavy lifting.
“This shift may be justified given our housing crisis, but it needs to be backed with appropriate investment and policy reforms,” he said. “It’s concerning that this does not seem to be part of the plan thus far.”
Croeser said to achieve 30 per cent canopy in urban areas, the government would have to fund more planting by removing asphalt and change rules to make it easier to get trees in the ground and protect existing trees, without over-pruning.
“We need a reform package that makes it easier to get trees in the ground, especially in streets, where parking, cables and pipes are all treated as higher priorities,” he said.
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City of Banyule mayor Elizabeth Nealy said she was concerned that lower canopy cover requirements on new developments undermined the broader goal of 30 per cent coverage in urban areas, with most plantings needing to occur on private property.
She said meeting the target required strong planning controls, adequate growing space and stricter enforcement.
“The 10 per cent tree canopy requirement for new developments is unlikely to contribute meaningfully to the overall target,” she said.
City of Monash mayor Paul Klisaris said the council had long called for the state government to implement stronger protections for trees to prevent the practice of “moonscaping” on development sites, where greenery is replaced by concrete.
He welcomed the 30 per cent canopy target, but said it was at odds with the rules for new developments.
An Allan government spokeswoman said: “Victorians have told us they value the trees and green spaces in their communities – that’s why we’ve set a 30 per cent tree canopy target for urban areas across the state.
“This is a long-term goal, and we’ll keep working with councils, communities and developers to deliver more trees, more shade and greener streets.”
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