Maitland councillor calls for change to make tree planting on the verge easier

Maitland councillor Ben Mitchell has called for an overhaul of the management of trees on public land policy, saying he tried to follow the rules and the process was so long and slow that he gave up.

"My preference would be that we seek to enable residents to be able to plant trees rather than restricting them," he said.

Residents who want to plant a tree on council land are required to lodge a request with the council's customer experience team.

A qualified officer assesses the application and considers the site and the type of tree.

The officer then inspects the site to confirm it is appropriate, taking into account a range of factors.

If it's approved, the council plants the tree as part of its street planting schedule.

Council then encourages residents to water and fertilise the tree.

Cr Mitchell said residents were taking matters into their own hands and planting trees that could cause problems with roads and pipes in the future.

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"I fully understand that people should not be able to plant a Morton Bay Fig a metre from a street kerbing," he said.

He thinks residents should be able to plant a tree without an assessment as long as it is on the council's preferred species list.

"Why can't they do it themselves without jumping through hurdles along the way?," he said.

"So long as it's not within certain meterage of a kerb, knock yourself out, plant something off that list."

Cr Mitchell gained the support of councillors to defer the 2023 version of the policy, which came before the council last month.

He requested a briefing about the policy with council staff within the next six months so these issues could be raised.

Mayor of Maitland Philip Penfold said further consultation wouldn't hurt.