Branch chance

By Kath Gannaway
Yarra Ranges Councils Co-ordinator of Trees Paul Mechelen and arborist Alannah Matheson put a number of options for staged removal of the trees and sought guidance on what species the community envisaged would replace them at a public meeting on Thursday, 9 December.
The meeting was attended by three community members and Ryrie Ward representative Cr Jeanette McRae.
Mr Mechelen said a previous well-attended public meeting earlier last year had left no doubt that the community saw the River Street vista as a significant part of the town’s identity.
He said while the council’s preference was for indigenous plants, it was clear the community “overridingly wanted exotic species”.
“People also told us they wanted to retain the colours that are there, the pale yellow in Autumn,” he said presenting four possible options.
Healesville resident Fleur Brennan however called for a heritage assessment to establish whether the original avenue of trees had any link with William Guilfoyle, a director and architect of the design for Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens.
Mount Yule in River Street was the Guilfoyles’ country home and it is believed he would have designed the gardens there.
Mount Yule has a heritage overlay under Yarra Ranges’ planning scheme and Ms Brennan called for a heritage assessment to establish whether Mr Guilfoyle had any connection with the design of the River Street avenue of trees.
“I want to know if there is any connection of those trees with him and what heritage values there may be because of that,” said Ms Brennan.
“Until an expert in that heritage aspect looks into that, no-one will really know,” she said.
Mr Mechelen rejected a clear-fell approach saying while it was the option which would offer the best option for replanting, it was a huge aesthetic loss and he doubted that the community would support it.
Other options involved staged removal. Cr McRae supported the call for a heritage assessment and said more community input would be needed before any decisions could be made.