In June 2017, in response to the controversy over the removal of 170 trees and shrubs in the Foreshore Park for the Supercars event, the Newcastle Herald reported "After the inevitable controversy caused by the trees' removal, the council is urging residents to simply be patient and wait for them to grow back".
With the media release heralding the latest Landscape Masterplan for the Foreshore Park, it seems council has lost none of the magical thinking generated by the wonders of computer imaging called up in 2017.
The latest masterplan projects the tree canopy in Foreshore Park will be increased even further - by 250 per cent.
Five years on, the Newcastle East Residents Group (NERG) can provide a reality check on the actual tree canopy in Foreshore Park that shatters the illusion that council's planned tree planting program will increase the amount of shaded canopy from 2800 square metres to 9800 square metres, as claimed.
In 2020 NERG commissioned an independent audit of the tree canopy in the Foreshore Park. In sum, the audit concluded that 4200 square metres of canopy had been removed within the past five years. The council's actual replanting, even projecting well beyond 20 years, would be 6750 square metres, or less than 70 per cent of the city's goal of 9800 square metres.
The diversity in council's replanting program, promised on their website (March 3, 2017) was more fantasy than reality.
It included:
- 2017-2018. 57 Norfolk Island pines, 23 broad-leaf lilly pillies, 11 palms, 9 native hibiscus, shrubs and number to be confirmed
- 2019-2021. 37 Norfolk of Cook Island pines
- Shrubs (species and number to be confirmed)
NERG found that in 2017-2018 only 10 kentia palms and 29 Norfolk Island pines were planted. Further undergrowth was removed, and more trees were lost largely because of the lack of windbreaks previously provided by the shrubs and undergrowth.
The majority of respondents in the council's community engagement survey gave priority to increasing shade cover throughout Foreshore Park and more accessible picnic areas. Yet council appears committed to expanding the space available for big events. This requires keeping land cleared and fencing off significant areas from public use for extended periods of time.
The public has every reason to be sceptical of council's projected tree cover heralded in their latest media release.
Dr Christine Everingham is a member of the Newcastle East Residents Group
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