Chinese elms on Spencer Street facing potential chop as councillor set to ask City of Albany to assess impact

There are renewed calls for the removal of several Chinese elms overhanging an Albany Spencer Street block. Verge trees between Grey and Earl Streets have previously been raised as an issue by residents multiple times because of the way they overhang the western side of Spencer Street. The loudest of those calls came in 2021 after one of the trees destroyed a caravan being towed by tourists visiting from New South Wales. Spencer Suites provided accommodation to the couple following the incident and owner John Howe said it left his visitors devastated. He said he started contacting councillors shortly after “to get something moved along” and had previously talked to City workers who had been working in the area. “I just thought I’d talk to people, commonsense would prevail and we would trim it back or get rid of it,” he said. “People say ‘You’re anti-tree’, but I love trees and they could plant 50 trees in the street as far as I’m concerned as long they are the right tree for the right spot.” Now the owner of 71 Spencer Street, which is heritage listed as Terrace House, believes the root systems are responsible for cracks that have appeared internally and externally over the past 12 months in his 19th Century building. Internally a ceiling crack of about 1.5m has developed in the norther corner of the building, while cracks are visible on exterior walls in a similar area. The footpath running down the west of Spencer street also has cracks Mr Howe attributes to the roots. “It is a real concern to me because they are damaging historic buildings and damaging the footpath,” he said. “To me it’s a no-brainer from that perspective, but trying to get the council to move is like turning around an oil tanker. Next week Cr Chris Thomson will table a motion asking for the four Chinese elms, believed to have been planted about 25 years ago, to be inspected and their potential impact on road safety, public infrastructure and private property assessed. If the motion is successful it will also ask the chief executive to liaise with Mr Howe, as the owner 71 Spencer Street, about his concerns regarding the tree out the front of his heritage-listed building. It would then ask for a report to be presented to council that would provide future options for trees, consider replacement options if the trees were to be removed and advice on how other problematic Chinese elms could be dealt with. In Cr Thomson’s reasoning for tabling the motion, he said he and another councillor had periodically requested the City prune or remove the elm that caused the incident with the caravan in November 2021. “Regardless, the portion of the tree that extends into the road remains unpruned,” he said. “Locals colloquially refer to the tree as the ‘caravan killer’. “ He said the owner of a different historic Spencer Street house had been successful in having the City remove a similar elm from the verge of their property. “The City acquiesced after the homeowner expressed concerns that the tree might be damaging her house,” he said. “All that remains of that Chinese elm is a stump.” An officer comment attached to the motion noted the City had an “administrative process for dealing with the removal of street trees” which is considered in accordance with its Urban Tree Strategy and Street Trees Community Guidlines. The officer comment lists possible reasons for a tree removal as well as reasons not to be taken into account when considering the possibility. Mr Howe said the fact a Chinese elm had been removed from the front of Somerset House further north on Spencer Street because of the damage it had been causing him gave him hope there might be action this time around. “There was definitely damage under there,” he said. “Prevention is better than the cure, and that’s where I am coming at it from.” Council will consider the motion at its meeting on Tuesday.