Tree Canopy
One of the issues raised with me during door knocking in September and October 2018 was the replacement of dying street canopy trees with ornamental pear trees, which do not appear to be canopy trees. My intention is to revisit the tree policy to determine if a different approach is possible to ensure that we do not loose canopy cover with the obvious environmental impacts and retain the aesthetic appeal of our streetscape.
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Loss of Canopy Cover
From 1979 to 2017, there has been a progressive loss of canopy cover from 34% to 22% on private land due to urban infill. Thirty six percent of all trees have been lost on private land. Whilst public land canopy cover increased from 34% to 36% in that time, overall the cover across the City of Unley has dropped to 28%.
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The 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide (2017) aims to increase green cover by 20% by 2045. For the City of Unley, this represents an increase from 26% to 31%. This target is a challenge because 80% of the land is private, and 20% is public (4% are parks). To assist in achieving this target, Council has plans to maximising canopy cover on public land, however the target cannot be achieved if we do not engage with the State Government about, amongst other matters, more space around buildings to allow for larger plantings, including deep soil zones and medium to large trees. We are lobbying Government to mandate green cover rules on new developments.
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I would encourage residents to view the interactive heat mapping on the Resilient East website: https://www.resilienteast.com/our-projects-1. For the Unley Park Ward on 23 March 2018, the data shows demonstrable heat island effects along Unley Road and for some properties, including those with more urban infill.
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Developments: A Tree Canopy Priority Action Plan and a process to develop the new Tree Strategy will be provided to Council in March 2019.
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Heywood Park
Cutting-edge technology and a new playground will be installed at Heywood Park thanks to more than $400,000 of Federal and State Government funding.
Smart technology that will be installed as part of the project includes an electric car charging station, community WiFi, predictive lighting, apps to help people check the availability of car parking and barbecues, and technology to notify the Council when bins need to be emptied, and to minimise and monitor water usage.
The project is anticipated to be completed in August 2019.
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Unley Road Greening
The feasibility of tree plantings on either side of Unley Road was investigated by the Unley Council in November 2017, and the findings presented to Council in February 2018. Ten vacant tree locations on the western side of Unley Road have been identified and trees will be planted within the existing Second Generation Tree Strategy. The lack of trees on the eastern side of Unley Road is due to the presence of underground Telstra services (coaxial cables). Further greening options will be considered as part of the 2018/19 budget process.
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