How a special tree was preserved during Westfield Miranda expansion

The Hills Weeping Fig was planted in 1971 after Westfield purchased Miranda Fair and carried out the first expansion.

For many years, it stood next to a semi-circular driveway under the old office tower, and did not stand out.

But, it is now one of the shopping centre's most appealing features.

Some regulars refer to it as "the meeting tree". Staff and visitors enjoy sitting and relaxing.

Inquiries by the Leader have revealed that in 2011, Westfield engaged a firm of landscape architects and consulting arborists to advise on, and manage, retention of the tree as the centrepiece of a new redevelopment that was planned, and subsequently completed in 2014.

Robert Smart, director of the firm, Arterra Design, said their work was made easier because Sutherland Shire Council had imposed a condition in the development consent that the health and habit of the tree must be maintained.

"We prepared a tree management plan and were there to see it was followed through every step of the way," he said.

"I like to think it was almost best practice tree protection during a big development.

"In fact I give talks to students about how it was looked after, because that is a difficult task quite often because people love doing silly things when they are putting up big big buildings.

Mr Smart said, in 2011, the tree was "healthy, thick and full and had some reasonable soil around it, but it was growing up against a large and thick driveway".

They advised on giving the tree more space for the roots to spread, and also almost doubled the soil volume.

Many exposed roots were covered, and the roots grew into the new soil in eight to nine months.

Mr Smart said the council's condition in the development consent enabled his firm to push back on unsuitable design proposals.

"For example, Westfield had early thoughts about having water features and all sorts of things around it," he said.

"We said, 'that's all very nice but it probably won't work because you are going to have to run too much pipe work and concrete around the tree".

Mr Smart said the tree could easily live for another 50 years.

A feature of the tree is the incredible noise made by thousands of birds at sunrise and sunset in this tree and other figs in Kiora Road.

Sutherland Shire Council's environmental science unit said they were predominantly Rainbow Lorikeets, with some Common Myna birds.