They have been derided as "wreckers" whose roots wreak havoc on pavements and paths, and they have been blamed, sometimes unfairly, for causing allergic reactions.
But by the time the light rail extension is finished, more than 100 London plane trees will have been planted in Canberra's city centre in a move seemingly at odds with the government's plan to use the species sparingly.
Tree expert Cris Brack, an honorary associate professor at the Australian National University's Fenner School, said the London plane was an excellent choice for the city and new planting techniques could train their roots away from lifting pavements.
"It survives really well in the harsh climates of the city and it also appears to survive well in what we're thinking the future climate of the ACT will be. So they're a very good tree for their survivability, they're a good tree for their attractiveness, they're healthy, they stay healthy for a long time. They have a really good number of very positive points," Mr Brack said.
"The only thing that we had to not make it the best tree in Canberra was the fact that it is an allergen for a number of people and there is, when the fruits are dropping, a trip hazard on the ground.
"So apart from those two things, it's a brilliant tree for the city."
Infrastructure Canberra this week released a map of the tree plantings that would accompany the completed light rail extension through the city, with species including the London plane, Chinese elm, Himalayan cedar, pin oak and red spotted gum.
Mr Brack said diversity among tree species in cities was important and while you could technically plant all of Canberra with London plane trees and the vast majority would survive, that was not a good plan.
"But putting 100 plane trees in the middle of the city, given you've got other trees around it, I think is a really good, very good move," he said.
In September 2024, City Services Minister Tara Cheyne said the government would start planting plane trees year sparingly after an update to the government's tree species list.
Eight months later, she told the Assembly everyone knew how she felt about plane trees. "They are beautiful and they have a great canopy, but they are also wreckers. They are trees that have major root systems that are constantly looking for water, so they lift up pavers, wreck footpaths and are arguably inappropriate species for some locations," she said.
An ACT government spokesperson said the landscape design for the light rail extension was designed to grow healthy trees without compromising surrounding footpaths and roads.
"New trees are provided with large underground soil volumes, suitable drainage and specialised tree pit systems that encourage strong, healthy root development below ground, helping reduce the risk of pavement cracking while contributing to increased tree canopy and shade across the corridor," the spokesperson said.
"Like many tree species, London planes can produce pollen and some people may be sensitive to it. When selecting trees, however, planners need to balance a range of factors including shade, canopy coverage, resilience, longevity, urban cooling and the character of the public realm.
"London planes are widely used around the world because they perform exceptionally well in demanding urban environments and provide substantial long-term amenity."
Infrastructure Canberra's tree planting map showed 55 new London plane trees to be planted as part of the light rail stage 2A project, with the rest already planted in the works to raise London Circuit.
Mr Brack said there were now better planting techniques to direct the roots down rather than out and up, meaning they can have less impact on lifting paths.
"There's been a huge progress in the techniques around planting trees in cities over the last 30 years. We've always known trees in cities are a good idea, but in the last few decades, we've realised how good an idea it is, how vital it is," he said.
"And they've been making lots of developments in making sure that the few negative effects of trees in the city can be mitigated by good planting techniques.
"So there's been a whole range of engineering developments and agricultural developments to improve all those systems to make it much better."
