Plane Trees to undergo maintenance work

Published on May 19, 2023

Notified Resource Consent Notable Plane Trees on Oxford Street Levin thumbnail image.

The Plane Trees on Oxford Street, Levin will be undergoing annual pruning work from Sunday 21 May 2023 while Horowhenua District Council considers feedback from the community about potentially removing them.

Submissions on the potential removal of the Oxford Street Plane Trees opened on Friday 31 March 2023 and closed on Tuesday 2 May 2023. We received more than 120 submissions and are currently working through them to determine the next steps in the process. A hearing date is yet to be determined.

In the meantime, scheduled maintenance work will continue to protect the health of the trees and significantly reduce leaf fall. This work has been undertaken for the past four years.

The next scheduled work will begin on Sunday 21 May and will continue for three to five days between the hours of 8pm and 6am.

Council's Chief Executive Monique Davidson says, “We are grateful to everyone who expressed their views regarding the potential removal of the Plane Trees. While the submissions are carefully considered, the maintenance of the Oxford Street Plane Trees will continue to mitigate any issues the leaf fall could cause.”

Council proposed to remove 27 of the approximately 38 London Plane Trees (Platanus x acerfolia) planted along Oxford Street, Levin on State Highway 1, between Queen Street West and Devon Street, after concerns were raised about the leaf fall and tree roots causing damage to pavements, kerbing and roading. Some of the trees have decay and structural defects due to growing in unfavourable conditions.

Classed as Notable Trees under the Operative District Plan (identified as NT23 – NT34 and NT47 – NT60), the Oxford Street Plane Trees cannot be removed unless they are dead or pose an immediate danger to life or property. Removing trees that do not meet this criteria requires a resource consent process under the Resource Management Act.

For more information about the Oxford Street Plane Trees, visit horowhenua.govt.nz/PlaneTrees