A growing problem
BY IMOGEN NEALE
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There's a monster in Emma and Damon Treadaway's front yard and it just keeps growing.
A liquidambar tree towers over the couple’s single-storey house, clogs the drains with its falling leaves, takes climbing kids perilously close to powerlines, has wiped out a telephone wire and pushed up the house’s water pipe.
Two weeks ago a massive branch snapped off, crashing down right where neighbourhood children often play and the couple sometimes park their car.
Mrs Treadaway says she’s approached the Papakura District Council several times about removing the tree but was told she’d have to apply for resource consent which could cost up to $3000.
"We tried to argue that the tree is dangerous but it fell on deaf ears," she says.
She was also told that in order to get consent she’d have to put an advertisement in the local newspaper, get
permission from neighbours and "everyone who sees the tree".
"Even then we’re not guaranteed to get permission," she says.
As a temporary solution the couple trimmed some of the tree’s lower branches so at least the local children couldn’t climb it anymore.
But soon afterwards the council inspected it and sent the couple a notice saying they could be fined for trimming the tree without a permit.
"I just think it’s a terrible shame that we can’t remove a tree that belongs to us without having expensive permission from the council yet if this tree was to cause damage to water pipes, powerlines or, worse, a member of the public, it would be our responsibility," Mrs Treadaway says.
Her husband Damon says every year they get a letter from Vector saying the tree is interfering with the powerlines. It also says Vector will pay to trim the tree once but the second time the Treadaways will have to foot the bill.
Mr Treadaway says they’ve declared no interest in the tree so the power company can cut it down whenever they like but so far it’s still standing.
Council spokesman Mark Baker says that under the district plan liquidambar trees are a specified protected species.
Under the plan no alteration can be made to any listed tree taller than six metres that leads to its destruction or causes irreparable damage.
"Issues of amenity such as shading are not sufficient cause under the current laws to enable the removal of a healthy tree of this size," he says.
"We do recommend they visit the council and talk with a duty planner to explore this issue in depth."
Mrs Treadaway says they’re more than happy to get a professional arborist to cut down the tree but they can’t afford to do that as well as apply for consent.
Since speaking to the Papakura Courier she says she’s received a letter from the council saying there’s nothing wrong with the tree and they have to file a proper request.
"It wasn’t very friendly," she says.
So for now the Treadaways are left with a front lawn full of broken branch bits and a headache that keeps growing.
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