EES Scoping Requirements Evaluation objective Key Legislation - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

EES Scoping Requirements

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Evaluation objective Key Legislation

Landscape, visual and recreational values - To avoid or minimise adverse effects on landscape, visual amenity and recreational values as far as practicable. Planning and Environment Act 1987. Heritage Act 1995.

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Aspect Relevant responses

Key Issues



Potential adverse effects on highly valued urban landscapes, particularly resulting from construction phase works or inappropriate siting of permanent new works Priorities for characterising the existing environment

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Identify key visual and landscape features and values in the area or broader vicinity of proposed project works Design and mitigation measures

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Identify project design and construction management measures to avoid or minimise adverse effects on landscape character and visual values, especially with regard to long-term effects. Assessment of likely effects

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Assess likely extent and duration of residual adverse effects on landscape and visual values Approach to manage performance

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Identify principles to be adopted to develop measures to monitor adverse effects on landscape and visual values and contingency measures to be implemented if required

Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

EES Scoping Requirements - Specific to arboriculture

Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Assessment Approach

• Desktop Assessment
• Site assessment – arboricultural assessment of trees across

the study area in locations with surface interventions (portals, stations and access shafts) and shallow tunnelling. All assessment data is included in Appendix A

• Risk and impact assessment – consideration of the potential

impact of project components on trees, specifically those in the public realm

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Risk Assessment Outcomes

• Design: Direct loss of trees to accommodate

proposed built form, including new road functional layouts (Royal Parade and St Kilda Road)

• Construction: Loss or damage to trees in the public

realm for construction sites, construction access, temporary services

• Operation: No operational issues relating to

arboriculture Assessment has been limited by GPS-positional data for trees and the “unknowns” of future, detailed construction

• requirements. A conservative approach has been taken

in the assessment of potential impacts.

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Existing Conditions

Many of the station, emergency access shafts and construction sites are within some of inner Melbourne’s most highly valued avenues and parks:

• Royal Parade (VHR H2198) and Grattan

Street avenues.

• Swanston Street.
• Domain Parklands (VHR H2304) and the

Shrine Reserve (VHR H0366).

• St Kilda Road and Albert Reserve (VHR

H1374).

• Fawkner Park.

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Assessment of Impact

The criteria for assessing impact is focussed on:

• Trees that already contribute meaningful amenity to the public realm (semi-

mature, mature and over-mature trees); &

• Trees assessed to be viable for a period greater than the delivery of the

project, that is, trees with an assessed useful life expectancy >10years. These trees are described as medium and long-term viability – MLTV - trees, and specifically excludes juvenile and senescent trees.

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Key Concerns Raised by Submitters

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Key Concerns

Extent of tree removal , in particular on St Kilda Road Impact on Domain, in particular adjacent to Shrine and Tom’s Block Impact on the Elms in Albert Road Reserve Possibility of an alternative excavation method (e.g. TBM) to minimize impact on St Kilda Road Impact on significant Elms on Royal Parade Impact on Eucalypts in City Square Possibility of transplanting mature trees for duration of project, to be reinstated after completion of works

Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Tunnel Precinct

For the purposes of arboricultural impact, the tunnel is generally located at depths where tree root growth does not occur. Tom’s Paddock, Domain Parklands – shallow tunnel section

• ver CityLink will require soil “improvement”, and will require the

removal of trees from a highly valued and prominent precinct of the Domain Parklands. Intervention Shafts - Queen Victoria Gardens, Tom’s Block variation and Fawkner Park – limited number of MLTV trees to be removed, with scope to temporarily relocate significant palms within each location (if required)

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Western Portal

Removal of trees within this precinct are predominantly juvenile street trees within the Childers and Ormond Street road reserves.

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Arden

One MLTV tree will require removal from the Laurens Street road reserve, and possibly an additional two trees from Langford Street for the intake substation (ISS). The majority of trees to be removed from this precinct are within the VicTrack landholding.

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Parkville

• Primary impact will be the loss of elms

from the Grattan Street and Royal Parade road reserves.

• The cumulative impact of removal of

blocks of trees from Grattan Street, and trees from Royal Parade will significantly impact on the amenity values of the precinct streetscape.

• An additional 38 MLTV trees are to be

removed from the University of Melbourne grounds

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

CBD North and CBD South

• The mined construction methodology for

the station boxes significantly reduces the potential impact of loss of Plane Trees from Swanston Street.

• Major impact for these precincts are the

construction zones in the City Square and Franklin St road reserve.

• There is the potential for loss of individual

Plane Trees from Swanston Street, depending on construction access.

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Domain

Significant loss of trees from the public realm including St Kilda Road and Albert Reserve. Additional loss of trees (mature Elms) on the south side of Edmund Herring Oval (Domain Parklands) and within the Shrine Reserve for a construction zone.

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Duration of impact

Where the impact of loss of trees from the public realm is significant, especially Parkville and Domain, mitigation is primarily focussed on replanting and re- establishing amenity to the streetscape. The long term duration of loss of trees from the public realm will be determined by:

• Species selection
• Rainfall, drought and summer heat events
• Competition from established trees in the vicinity of replacement specimens
• Soil type and use of structured soils
• Provision of irrigation and/or WSUD treatments
• Size of planting stock.

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Duration of impact

It is estimated that within 20-30 years following planting, a high quality semi- mature canopy can be established.

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Swanston Street, 1985-1995-2015

Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Other mitigation measures

As well as replanting trees to achieve public realm canopy targets, precinct- specific Tree Protection Plans should be prepared in conjunction with construction management plans to ensure:

• Impacts are assessed against accurately surveyed tree locations and detailed

construction drawings;

• Construction site vehicle movements, set-down areas and craning locations

can be identified;

• Low level details such as services installation to stations, temporary access

and services can be implemented using tree sensitive methodologies.

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Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Environmental Performance Requirements (EPR)

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EPR Recommendation

• AR1. During detailed design, review potential tree impacts

and provide for maximum tree retention. Prior to construction of main works or shafts, develop and implement a plan in consultation with the relevant local council that identifies all trees in the project area which will be removed, their condition, and options for temporary relocation of palms for reinstatement or to

• ther suitable location.

None

• AR2. Reinstate quality soils to sufficient volumes to

support long-term viable growth of replacement trees. None

Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Environmental Performance Requirements (EPR)

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EPR Recommendation

• AR3. Re-establish trees to replace loss of canopy cover and

achieve canopy size equal to (or greater than) healthy, mature examples of the species in Melbourne. Consult with the City of Melbourne, City of Port Phillip, the City of Stonnington, Heritage Victoria, and the Shrine of remembrance and Shrine Trustees as applicable. Add policy documents as follows: South Yarra Urban Forest Precinct Plan 2013-2023 Carlton Urban Forest Precinct Plan 2013-2023 Central City Urban Forest Precinct Plan 2013-2023 Kensington Urban Forest Precinct Plan 2013-2023

Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Environmental Performance Requirements (EPR)

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EPR Recommendation

• AR4. Prior to construction commencing of main works or shafts

in affected areas, prepare and implement Tree Protection Plans for each Precinct in accordance with AS4970-2009 Protection of Trees on Development Sites, addressing the detailed design and construction methodology of the project. Within precinct 1 Tunnels, 4 Parkville Station, and 7 Domain Station, a Tree Protection Plan must be developed for each heritage place as relevant to the satisfaction of Heritage Victoria or the responsible authority None

Arboriculture – City of Melbourne and City of Port Phillip

Environmental Performance Requirements (EPR)

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EPR Recommendation

• AR5. For City of Melbourne trees that are to be retained and

protected, a bank guarantee or bond of the tree’s value will be held against the approved Tree Protection Plan for the duration

• f works in accordance with the Melbourne Tree Retention and

Removal Policy None

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Melbourne Metro Rall Project Expert Witness Conclave - Arboriculture

Thls Joint statement refers to AtboriculUal Conclave prepared by John Patrick (John Patrick Landscape Architects Pty Ltd), expert for the Melbourne Metro Rail Authority and Ian Shears, expen fOf the City of Melbourne 19 A1.19ust 2016. 1. AR3 John 1-'atncl<

Descrfptlon of laaue Amend to il~ in first dot point the CoM Urban Forest Pntcincl Plans b- Carl:cn, South Y8ml and C80 as Policy

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that must be fC>llowed. Amend to read In addition: lncklde

addiliomil -nc;o Fot CoM \Jtile$ thllt ate temolled payment shall be made '°'

the AmBotly Yallue and Ecaogleal SeM<:es Value In accordaoce wi1h 1he CoM Tree t<Glltl\llOll and Removal

Polic:y.

Date: •

Z,'5 V\H ~

Aped

• r not

agi'Md? Agrae We accept lhe Inclusion the CoM Urban

FOl'e&t Precinct Pb= Ice- c...fton, South

y.,.,. •od ceo.

Aa:ept Inclusion Of Ille Urban Forwt Precinct Plana for

• Kensington. subject

lo

rev1ew.

John Palrid< Landscape Arctlllea.s Ply

Lid lllMt not Deef\ aslald to re\/lew financial ~

• f trees. The1

elore, -

ca.nnol ccmrnen1 on lta!ue Of payment. Not wilhln the scope reques;l8d.

Submlltwvlew

Amend lo include in

first dot point lhe

CoM Urban l'orest Pl'ec:lnct

Pf;ails rot"

• Canton. South Yami and CBO

as

Policy Documenl:l lllllC tnU$I oe ltlllOoM!O. In addl6on to the Urban Forest Precinct Plans for Kensing"°"

From Council pet'5p41CtiYe, It is policy to

as58$$ financial values of trees and b' Council to be rcc.ampensed for lnle removals.