Two residents of Bond St are rallying for something to be done about a 20m gum tree, which they say has been causing trouble in their street for over two years.
There’s a ticking time bomb in Bond St and residents believe it has the power to destroy their homes.
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For two years, Bond St residents have grappled with the consequences of a towering 20-metre gum tree, which has damaged pavements and exacerbated drainage problems, leading to increased frustration over a supposed lack of council action.
Bond St resident Mary-Anne Spizer said she believed the tree was at the root of many problems, including major flooding and the potential to destroy houses.
Two years ago, Mrs Spizer said she reached out to council with concerns that a tree on Bond St was lifting the pavement and the road, causing any rain to flow downwards towards her gutter and fill her driveway.
In April 2022, the Free Press originally reported that Campaspe Shire Council was “considering options for the future renewal of gutters in Bond St”.
Council said it would advise residents of works before their start date; however, Mrs Spizer said they were never notified, and nothing was ever done.
“When it floods, it usually takes between half a day to two days to go to the drainage system,” she said.
Resident Judith Binion said she too was worried about the amount of flooding caused by what residents believe is the tree lifting the road.
She said the roots of the tree were shallow enough to have lifted the footpath and the gutter next to the tree.
The 20m tall gum tree has shallow roots that have lifted the footpath and road pavement surrounding the trunk, an issue which residents say causes rainwater to build up in driveways.
The cracks made in the footpath from the roots have been filled in; however, there were still significant bumps in the filled paths that would make it an easy tripping hazard or hard for mobility scooters to make a smooth trip over.
“It is very obvious to everyone that the big gum tree in the nature strip is a lot of the problem, as it has lifted the footpath and the road,” Mrs Binion said.
“Because the road is so flooded, our storm water is not able to get out, resulting in it banking up and on several occasions coming indoors.”
Another Bond St resident, Lorna Riley, said she believed the tree had the potential to do damage to houses or even injure somebody.
“You hear of stories about people getting injured or killed by falling branches, and this tree seriously does not look stable enough to be safe,” Mrs Riley said.
“And from the height they would be dropping ... they say it’s creating shade, well, someone’s life is a lot more valuable than shade,” she said.
“Depending on which way (branches) may fall, there will be huge damage to a property and hopefully not a life,” Mrs Binion said.
Council director for infrastructure Kate Lemon said the Bond St footpath had previously been inspected and “temporary works” had been completed to address urgent concerns.
“Kerb and channel renewal works are part of our annual capital works program with preliminary designs for Bond St complete, and renewal works will form part of this year’s (2024/25) construction program,” Ms Lemon said.
“Residents will be notified when works are due to commence.”
Ms Lemon also said council’s arborist had inspected the tree in question, and it was determined “it poses no current concerns”.
The Bond St tree is an issue for its neighbours. They met at the tree to discuss the issues they have with its shallow roots and dangerous height.
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