BRIGHTON-Le-Sands residents are pining for five much-loved trees - and a night's sleep - after tree loppers went to work in Cook Park on Tuesday night.
But Rockdale Council has stood by its decision to cut down the Norfolk Island pines for safety reasons, saying it had replaced them with advanced trees and the job came in under budget.
The RTA closed one lane of The Grand Parade and part of Princess Street on Tuesday night so contractors could do the work. Residents, who said the trees were around 100 years old and had heritage value, are angry they were not notified and suffered noise until 5am.
The council was unable to say yesterday whether it was required to advise neighbours.
The stoush over the trees started in 2006 when former councillor Gary Green said six of them should go because they were "a serious risk to the community''.
After seeing four arborist reports for and against the trees' health, and a few rounds of heated debate, the council resolved in May this year to remove them.
Residents and some councillors raised several objections including the cost of removal (estimated in a council report to be $50,000) and their replacement ($48,000).
A council spokesman said yesterday the total cost including removal, mulching and replacement was now closer to $40,000.
Mayor Bill Saravinovski said his mobile phone was on "24 hours, seven days'' and no one had complained to him.
"I, as an elected representative, was given a risk-management report which raised a safety issue. In the interest of the majority of people, I would never jeopardise the safety of the ratepayers. I won't be sidetracked by professional whingers.''
Peter Olsen of Brighton-Le-Sands said residents watched ntsDthroughout the night nteas workers removed the trees.
ntsD``There was no justification for removing the tree that was directly outside the Princess Street entrance to the Novotel,'' Mr Olsen said.ntelw-2``They were certainly letting them know their displeasure at the fact that trees that were completely healthy were being removed,'' Mr Olsen said. ``Today there is very little evidence that there were six very proud 100-year-old trees there this time yesterday.''
lw-4Cr Liz Barlow said she was ``really disappointed that the trees which had 50 years life left in them were removed at the whim of a councillor''.
Cr Barlow said the work process was wrong and that the residents should have been told.
St George police were called after noise complaints but were told that contractors had permission to operate between 9pm and 5am.
The council spokesman said Novotel staff were aware that the tree nearby was being cut down.
The spokesman said the other trees were on the other side of the road along the beachfront.
"There's a lot of noise in that area anyway,'' he said.
"It was work that needed to be done and that was the only time the RTA would let us do the work.''
Some residents said the trees were removed as part of the council's long-term Destinations plan to rejuvenate Brighton.
Cr Saravinovski said this "was rubbish''.
Should the trees have been cut down?
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