A “very embarrassed” city council has been forced to apologise after it revealed dozens of trees were accidentally axed at a park in the centre of an $8.1 million redevelopment project.
The Town of Victoria Park in Perth admitted to the blunder on Monday after authorities reviewed satellite images of ongoing upgrades at the 4.7-hectare Elizabeth Baillie Park.
According to a statement released by the council, it had approved the removal of 11 trees, however, it has since discovered that 46 additional trees “that were not part of the original plan” were also lopped during construction.
While authorities are still “working to fully understand how this occurred”, they noted that “it’s likely that a combination of factors contributed”, including the declining health of some trees, poor site management, and the need to accommodate new infrastructure within the park.
Speaking to ABC Radio Perth, Victoria Park Mayor Karen Vernon described the error as “deeply disappointing and very embarrassing”.
Mayor Vernon said the discovery came “as a pretty big shock” given the council had “worked hard” to limit the number of trees that would need to be removed to make way for accessible pathways.
“We knew that there were going to be some tree losses and they had been planned for,” she explained. “But what’s happened now, this has not been something that our council had planned for, nor had we anticipated.”
Authorities are now calling for an investigation into what went wrong. Source: 7News
Mayor calls for investigation after 46 trees mistakenly removed
The mayor is now calling for an investigation into what went wrong. “If that includes some people losing their position, then that may very well be the consequence of that process,” she told 7news.
In an attempt to repair some of the damage, the council announced it will now plant 94 new trees to help offset the mistake. It had initially planned to replace 43 new trees and 23,160 plants.
“The Town deeply regrets this outcome and takes full responsibility,” the council said in a statement. It also vowed to “ensure that appropriate tree protection is in place for the final stages of construction”.
“We pride ourselves on environmental stewardship, responsible planning, and community trust. In this instance, we failed to meet these standards, and we are deeply sorry.”
Perth’s tree canopy jumps just one per cent in four years
Urban sprawl is one of the largest issues facing Western Australia’s capital city. Canopy cover in the Perth and Peel regions sits at 22 per cent, according to 2024 data released by the state government earlier this year. Data in 2020 showed that urban canopy was at 21 per cent.
To help improve the shockingly stagnant figure, one council even announced earlier this year that anyone caught destroying a tree growing on council property — not just street trees — could cop a $1,000 fine.
Speaking to 7News, WA Tree Canopy Advocates chair Sarah Allchurch argued that the Town of Victoria Park’s blunder has highlighted the need for “accountability from the person who signed the work order right through to the guy holding the chainsaw”.
“We need to stop before we chop,” she said.
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